Though Cadillac has yet to formally enter the 2026 F1 championship, it is working with both the FIA and F1 itself on a berth for next year.
That will see it become the 11th team on the grid and the second American operation after Haas.
Preparations are well underway with the operation having heavily recruited over a prolonged period – including poaching F1’s own technical boss, Pat Symonds.
Last year, it opened a new facility at Silverstone where it will base its European operations.
It has also secured a supply of Ferrari power units and gearboxes, essentially picking up the slack left as Sauber switches to Audi for 2026.
While the Cadillac program is on track from an administrative and technical perspective, efforts are also ongoing on the driver front.
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Since its inception, Herta has topped that list.
As a high-profile and well-credentialed American, the 24-year-old ticks several key boxes for the burgeoning squad.
“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,” Mario Andretti explained to Motorsport.com.
“Zak Brown gave him a good test at Portimao in Portugal.
“You should see the report that we got from [McLaren team principal] Andrea Stella.
“Andrea is an individual that says it like it is — so again, [Herta is] a great candidate.
“All of this has to be proven, of course, but going in, he’s a good bet, in my opinion.”
A key hurdle for the American is the lack of an FIA Super Licence with a dispensation previously been denied by the FIA.
However, since then, he’s had stronger results in the IndyCar series, netting second place last year.
Even still, he falls short of the necessary 40 points under the FIA system to automatically qualify for a licence – though another strong IndyCar campaign this season could resolve that.
“Some mistakes were made last year that cost him a championship, and unfortunately that happens,” Andretti pointed out, noting victory in the IndyCar Series is enough to qualify a driver for a Super Licence.
“Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself and then you make that mistake.
“When you look at the ingredients that were there, you had the ingredients of a champion.
“But for just one of those instances, he could have been champion. So, when you look back and assess all those things, you’ve got to feel pretty good.”
Long linked with a move to F1, Herta has downplayed the rumours by implying the constant speculation is a distraction.
“I’ve kind of been dragged around in this talk for, it feels like, half a decade now,” Herta said.
“I’ve had the carrot in front of me for a while.
“I’m kind of tired of that being the case, and I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning a championship.
“If something arises out of that, I’d have to think about it.”
Herta is not the only driver linked with a move to the all-new operation, with ex-Sauber racer Zhou Guanyu also in the frame.
The Chinese driver is managed by Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac’s team principal and an instrumental figure in the operation’s original entry proposal.
Zhou is a Ferrari reserve driver, a relationship that could bring with it valuable experience in the Cadillac’s first year.
Furthermore, the American marque sells more cars in China than in the United States, making it an important market for the automaker.
Zhou put in a strong account of himself during his three years in F1, proving a match for 10-time race winner Valtteri Bottas during their time together.
No decision has been made on the driver front though Andretti suggests things are moving towards a mid-year call.
“Everything is ongoing right now,” he explained.
“You think about those things every day, and that’s going to become official probably mid-year.
“We are obviously looking at every aspect of every opportunity that’s there.
“It’s clear that the objectives are to have at least one American driver and then another experienced driver alongside, and start like that.”
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