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Colton Herta might not be driving in IndyCar come 2026. Mario Andretti recently expressed interest in transferring the Andretti Global driver to the General Motors-backed Cadillac F1 team, which will join F1 in 2026.
Andretti has joined F1's to-be 11th team in an advisory role, keeping his distance from the day-to-day operations. He has seen Herta's performance up close, who has been driving for Andretti Global for five years, with his current contract running through 2027. In 2024, Herta finished a career-best second in the IndyCar standings with 513 points.
Andretti said, via Autosport:
"From the beginning of this project, the team always looked at the prospect of Colton Herta to be one of the drivers. As far as I know, this is something we had not discussed lately because there's time, that still remains a priority."
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"I'm sure that's the direction he would like to go. He trained there, he raced alongside the likes of, just to say one, Lando Norris, who is obviously very prominent now with McLaren and so, he is from that era, if you will, still, young and vibrant and ready to go."
Colton Herta's F1 application, however, hinges on him getting eight or more super license points in 2025 to take his tally over the FIA-mandated 40 points. The 24-year-old currently has 32. He needs to finish P5 or higher in the IndyCar standings next year to have a shot at his F1 dream in 2026.
In case he makes it, Andretti Global will be left with a vacancy to fill. Let's take a look at three drivers who could fill his shoes in this scenario.
#3 Valtteri Bottas - Ex-Mercedes and Sauber F1 driver
Barring Sauber's severe struggles in 2024, Valtteri Bottas is a seasoned F1 driver with 10 Grand Prix victories that he secured with Mercedes. The Finn has also earned 67 podiums since making his F1 debut in 2013.
With Sauber not renewing Bottas' contract post-2024, several IndyCar teams reached out to him for the 2025 season. However, he turned them down. The 35-year-old didn't want to change disciplines from one season to another and deal with the great amount of acclimatization to IndyCar he'd need after spending 12 years in F1. Bottas said, via GPblog:
"I've had talks and approaches at this point [from IndyCar teams]. I've made it pretty clear that next year comes a bit too soon."
So, a 2025 IndyCar move is ruled out. But what about 2026? Bottas is rumored to be in talks to rejoin Mercedes next year in a reserve driver role. This would ensure that his racing instincts remain intact, and he'd get ample time away from F1. It would be an incubation period that would allow him to replace Colton Herta in 2026. Andretti Global would be quite happy to have such an experienced driver who it could swoop from under the noses of a rival organization.
#2 Juri Vips - Ex-Red Bull F1 and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver
Juri Vips is a former Red Bull Racing F1 talent and has been part of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing IndyCar team for two years. He is the first Estonian driver in IndyCar history.
The 24-year-old competed in two races for RLL in 2023, finishing a decent P18 on debut at the Portland International Raceway. In his second race at Laguna Seca, Vips qualified a respectable P13, but a Lap 1 incident pushed him down the order, leading to an eventual P24 finish.
His performances impressed RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal, and the team retained him in a reserve role for 2024. Rahal said, via Motorsport:
“Juri is a good young man. I have to say he did everything we asked him to do. I think he showed that he certainly is capable of running up front in an IndyCar race."
Vips could be a good replacement for Colton Herta, considering Rahal's words and his experience in the junior Formula categories as well.
#1 Rinus Veekay - Ex-Ed Carpenter Racing driver
Rinus Veekay is one of the top free agents for the 2025 IndyCar season. Since his debut in 2020, the Dutchman drove for Ed Carpenter Racing and recorded two career-best 12th place finishes in the standings in 2021 and 2022.
His progression in the junior series was commendable. In 2017, he finished runner-up in the US F2000 with three wins and stood on the podium in 12 out of 14 races. He bettered himself in 2018 to win the Pro Mazda championship with seven wins, driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing. In a tight 2019 Indy NXT championship, he settled for runner-up, winning six out of 18 races.
His time with Ed Carpenter Racing in IndyCar was a tad volatile, but his results remained relatively consistent. He even won a race at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Though he might not be considered on the level of Colton Herta yet, many drivers have blossomed later in their careers.
Moreover, Veekay expressed admiration for Andretti Global's F1 entry in 2023, declaring the team a great value addition. It could be a dream come true for him if the organization signs him for 2026.
