Will Buxton bluntly puts Colton Herta ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez in Cadillac F1 debate

IndyCar driver Colton Herta has been linked to the Cadillac F1 seat since the American team's F1 entry was approved by the FOM. IndyCar’s play-by-play announcer, Will Buxton, recently came out and put the American ahead of the likes of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas for the Cadillac seat.

Cadillac's entry for the 2026 F1 season was recently confirmed by F1. The American team, backed by General Motors and Andretti Global, now has less than a year to finalize both its drivers, secure an engine deal, and build the car with respect to the new regulations.

Motorsport Magazine's official account on the social media platform X uploaded a tweet detailing how Cadillac promised a truly American F1 team, with Colton Herta being the favorite to get the seat. The account then put forward the question of whether someone with prior F1 experience like Sergio Perez or Valtteri Bottas would be a better bet for the team.

Will Buxton came out and replied to the same, highlighting Herta's experience in open-wheel racing as he said:

“I think it's really easy to forget how young Colton Herta is. He's been talked about in F1 for years, been a big player in Indycar for years, has been racing at the top table in the US for 8 seasons... and he's still only 24! Are 35-year-olds a better bet? Or just a safer bet?”

Red Bull replaced Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson after the 2024 season, and the Mexican is currently available as a free agent. Valtteri Bottas, on the other hand, is fulfilling duties of the Mercedes reserve driver.

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Will Buxton named Kyle Kirkwood alongside Colton Herta as favorites for Cadillac F1 seat

Colton Herta has been linked to the Cadillac F1 for what feels like forever. Mario Andretti and many other Cadillac executives, including Graeme Lowdon, have named Herta as a candidate for the seat. However, Will Buxton came out and nemed a surprise IndyCar entry in the race for the Cadillac F1 seat.

A user on social media platform X asked Buxton about his thought on Cadillac wanting to have an American driver in the seat, to which the IndyCar play-by-play announcer replied:

“Haas never saw the need because their market wasn’t exclusively American. It depends what Cadillac wants to gain from their presence. If it’s increased US market share then a US driver makes sense. @ColtonHerta and @KKirkwoodRacing the standout choices, superlicense permitting.”

Colton Herta currently sits on 32 super license points and needs 40 to get the super license. He needs to finish 4th or higher in the championship to get enough points for a super license.