Colton Herta finds massive support for Cadillac F1 bid as IndyCar & IMSA drivers squash "mental capacity" doubts

Colton Herta has become the center of attention in the motorsport world after Cadillac's F1 bid for 2026 was officially approved on Friday. The IndyCar star's caliber, however, was harshly doubted by former Formula 1 designer Gary Anderson. His critical comments caused a stir on social media, which four-time IMSA champion Jordan Taylor recently addressed.

In 2024, Taylor raced for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport in the IMSA SportsCar championship. In the first two races of the season - the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring - Colton Herta, whose IndyCar season hadn't started, was his teammate. At Daytona, they stood on the podium with a P3 finish and bettered the result at Sebring to emerge victorious.

Taylor, who has driven alongside two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso at Daytona in 2019 and Jenson Button in 2024 (when Herta was also a teammate), used their examples to give a comparison of how good Herta is. Replying to a PlanetF1's X post which mentioned Gary Anderson's critical comments, he wrote:

"I’ve driven alongside two different F1 world champions as well as Colton. No question he has enough speed and mental capacity for Formula 1, if he ever wanted to go for it."

Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, who is now an IndyCar analyst for FOX, replied to Taylor's post on X, giving his "100%" agreement.

Gary Anderson had made his criticism of Colton Herta known in November 2024, when Cadillac F1 director Mario Andretti named the IndyCar youngster the team's top driver choice.

"I think coming in as an American team, they will want an American driver. Who that is, I don’t know. But a lot talk about Colton Herta. Without doubt, an IndyCar driver who is quick, but I reserve judgment. To me, he makes too many mistakes," the former F1 car designer said on the Formula for Success podcast.

Anderson also boldly compared IndyCar to F2, adding:

"He’s definitely got speed in IndyCar, I don’t know that he’s got speed and the mental capacity to pick up Formula One. Formula One is a very complicated formula. You know, IndyCars are a bit like F2 as such. They’re a racing car with a steering wheel and you get on with it, whereas Formula One cars aren’t about that. There’s so much more going on."

2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi shares brutal 3-word message to shut Colton Herta criticism

Colton Herta at a press conference at the INDYCAR Series Streets of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Gary Andreson's comments on Herta didn't go down well with Ed Carpenter Racing's IndyCar driver, Alexander Rossi. The 2016 Indy 500 winner drove for Andretti Autosport (now Andretti Global) for seven years (2016 to 2022), and Herta was his teammate for the last three years.

Rossi replied to the same X post that Jordan Taylor replied to on X, writing:

"Who’s Gary Anderson?"

In January this year, Colton Herta admitted how he was fed up with all the F1 rumors surrounding him. However, he reportedly remains Cadillac's number one driver priority for their inaugural F1 season in 2026. His eligibility for an F1 seat is contingent on his placing fifth or higher in the 2025 IndyCar standings to earn the required points on his FIA super license.