"You kill his career": Guenther Steiner's hot take risks putting Colton Herta's Cadillac F1 dream to sleep

IndyCar star Colton Herta is the frontrunner for a Cadillac F1 seat when the American team enters the pinnacle of motorsport in 2026. The General Motors-backed team is looking to pair a young American driver with an experienced F1 driver. However, in former Haas boss Guenther Steiner's eyes, this isn't a good recipe for success.

Steiner was the major figure behind getting Haas, F1's only current American team, to the grid in 2016. However, as Team Principal of the Gene Haas-owned team, he only wanted experienced F1 drivers on his side, apart from the times he had to sign rookies like Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for sponsorship reasons.

In a recent interview with The Race, where he gave his opinion about all things Cadillac F1, Guenther Steiner addressed why he never signed an American driver for Haas.

"It was never a thing [for us] because at the time there were not many around who would have a super licence. Pairing a young team with a rookie driver who isn't used to racing in Formula 1, it can't be good for either of the two. If the driver doesn't succeed you kill his career. If the driver gets upset with the team it's not good for the team," he said.

For Colton Herta, who has yet to realize his F1 dream with Cadillac as his best opportunity, Steiner's statements don't bode well. Though Steiner left Haas after the 2023 season, he remains involved in the paddock on the media side.

Herta races for Andretti Global in IndyCar, the team that is behind the Cadillac F1 project. Andretti Global changed its branding to enter F1 to eliminate the friction that existed between former owner Michael Andretti and the Formula One Management (FOM).

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Colton Herta unsure about F1 switch amid Cadillac interest

Colton Herta at Indycar Series Test - Day 1 - Source: Getty

In November 2024, after Cadillac got a provisional green light for an F1 entry in 2026, newly appointed director Mario Andretti, announced Colton Herta as his top choice for one seat.

However, in January 2025, during IndyCar's media days, Herta had admitted to being fed up with questions about a potential F1 switch. He emphasized his loyalty to remain focused on winning the IndyCar championship with Andretti Global.

Recently, Mario Andretti reaffirmed his choice, citing the 24-year-old's brilliant lap times from his McLaren F1 test at Portimao in 2022. However, when Herta recently fielded a Cadillac F1 question again, he confessed he had doubts about a potential F1 switch and leaving his IndyCar team behind.

"I'd be leaving a great group of people I really like working with, so it's not a sure thing for me," the No. 26 driver said via Crash.net. "It's not an easy decision, just to be like, 'all right, see you guys later.' I'd be giving up an opportunity of maybe never working with these people again."

On March 8, F1 officially confirmed Cadillac's 2026 F1 entry. The American team will use Ferrari engines in its initial years in the pinnacle of motorsport before switching to in-house engines made by General Motors.