"He used to beat Lando" - IndyCar insider makes Colton Herta argument for Cadillac F1 seat

IndyCar insider Tom Gaymor backed IndyCar star Colton Herta for his rumored move to the Cadillac F1 team in 2026. The Sky Sports presenter highlighted how Herta has raced against McLaren's 2024 title contender Lando Norris during their junior years and beat him on several occasions.

When asked about Herta's Cadillac prospects during an appearance on "The Divebomb IndyCar" podcast on Friday, Gaymor said:

"I was at Carlin when Colton was there with Lando and on his day... That's always been the thing with Colton... we talk about Alex Palou is always at it, we talk about Max Verstappen is always at it. Colton, on his day, is unbeatable. But things tend to happen to him more than other drivers. Some of that, not his making. Some of that, his making. He's got the pace. He used to beat Lando." [43:58 onwards]

Gaymor, who worked with Carlin when Herta and Norris were teammates, believes that the Andretti Global driver could deserve the 2026 Cadillac F1 seat, which is also backed by Andretti's owner Dan Towriss.

Herta and Norris were teammates at Carlin during the 2015 MSA Formula Championship, a Formula 4 series. After the 30-race season, Lando Norris emerged as the champion with 10 pole positions and eight victories. Then-teammate Colton Herta wasn't as far back. The California native finished third in the standings with three pole positions and four victories.

Norris continued to climb the European Formula ladder in the coming years and got promoted to F1 with McLaren in 2019. Whereas Herta branched out into the Indy Lights (the topmost rung of the IndyCar ladder series) in 2017 and graduated to IndyCar in 2019. In 2024, both drivers finished runner-up in their respective series.

F1 Grand Prix Of Abu Dhabi (Credits: Getty)

Lando Norris and Colton Herta remained good friends even after taking separate career paths. In 2022, their paths crossed as Herta signed as McLaren's F1 development driver. He also tested McLaren's 2021 F1 car, the MCL35M, and returned happy with his lap time.

Ahead of that year's Miami GP, Norris also revealed how he nicknamed his old teammate 'hooligan Herta' because of his insane speed and control through high-speed corners.

---

Colton Herta shuts Cadillac F1 speculation with full focus on 2025 IndyCar championship

AUTO: JUN 23 NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey (Credits: Getty)

In November 2024, after Cadillac F1 was given a provisional green light on a 2026 F1 entry, the team appointed Mario Andretti as its director. The 4-time IndyCar champ acknowledged that Andretti Global's Colton Herta was a prospect for the team.

During IndyCar's content days in mid-January, Herta was asked about the rumors arising from Andretti's interest. He put an end to the speculation with a clear statement, saying:

"I don't really have a concern with it at all. I've kind of been dragged around in this (F1) talk for... feels like half a decade now and I've had the carrot in front of me for a while. So I'm tired of that being the case. I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning the championship, and if something arises out of that, I'd have to think about it."

In 2022, Herta was considered for an F1 drive with AlphaTauri (now VCARB) for the 2023 season. However, he didn't have the required super license points. Colton Herta's current super license situation is more favorable than the last, provided he continues his blistering 2024 run into this season.