Colton Herta's McLaren F1 test makes Mario Andretti prioritize him for Cadillac F1 seat

IndyCar and F1 legend Mario Andretti, the director of the Cadillac F1 team, has declared IndyCar star Colton Herta as the top candidate for one of the team's 2026 seats. The American youngster's impressive F1 test with McLaren in 2022 aided Andretti's decision.

In July 2022, Herta made his maiden F1 testing debut with McLaren at the Portimao circuit, which once hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix. The Andretti Global IndyCar driver completed 162 laps and 466 miles (750km) across the two-day test in McLaren's 2021 car - the MCL35M.

In a recent interview with Motorsport, Andretti shared how McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella was impressed by Colton Herta's lap times. The four-time IndyCar champ also affirmed that Herta was on par with F1 drivers, having competed with Lando Norris in his junior days.

"Looking back at the way Colton has trained from the very beginning of his young career — as you know, he started in Formula 3 and so on with the likes of Lando Norris, and he's done some F1 testing. Zak Brown gave him a good test at Portimao in Portugal. You should see the report that we got from [team principal] Andrea Stella. And Andrea is an individual that says it like it is — so again, [Herta's] a great candidate. And all of this has to be proven, of course, but going in, he's a good bet, in my opinion," the 1978 F1 champ said.

Mario Andretti has seen Colton Herta's IndyCar performances up close. The 25-year-old has been driving for Andretti Global since 2020 and won seven races. Mario's son Michael owned the team until the end of the 2024 IndyCar season.

Mario stated that Michael stepped down from his role as CEO because he realized that he might be an obstacle to their F1 entry. The young Andretti handed the reins to partner Dan Towriss, who then renewed the organization's talks with F1 and ensured the General Motors-backed Cadillac F1 entered as the 11th team in 2026. The American team will use Ferrari engines for a few years till GM finishes producing in-house engines.

Does Colton Herta's FIA super license allow him entry into F1?

NTT IndyCar Series PPG 375 - Practice - Qualifying - Source: Getty

In 2022, Colton Herta was closer to an F1 seat than ever. Red Bull's junior team, AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB) wanted to sign him for the 2023 season to replace the Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly. However, the American driver only had 32 points on his super license, eight less than the required 40.

Red Bull approached the FIA for an exemption, but the F1's governing body rejected their plea. Now, Herta has 31 points on his super license, one less than the last time an F1 team came calling. However, he can reach the required mark of 40 points if he finishes fourth or higher in the 2025 IndyCar standings.

A fourth place would immediately give him 10 points, taking his tally to 41. Each higher position would give him an additional 10 points - 20 for finishing third, 30 for finishing fourth, and 40 for winning the title. However, even a fifth-place finish could suffice with an added condition.

A fifth place would give him eight points, taking him to 39. To earn the final point, Colton Herta could complete 100 kilometers in an F1 session by taking part in a practice session with any of the 10 teams on the current grid.

The youngest IndyCar race winner recorded a career-best finish in 2024, a runner-up to Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou.