Colton Herta (26) of the United States celebrates winning the pole position with his pit crew at the Ontario Honda Area Dealers Indy on the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds in Toronto. July 19, 2025. Steve Russell/Toronto Star (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Toronto Star via Getty Images
Colton Herta is returning to Europe as the 25-year-old IndyCar Series driver from California was named as test driver for Cadillac Formula 1 as it begins its maiden season in 2026.
The nine-time NTT IndyCar Series race winner just concluded the 2025 IndyCar season seventh in points.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team as a Test Driver. This is a dream opportunity, and one I’ve been working towards for a long time,” Herta said. “To be part of Cadillac F1’s entry at such a pivotal time is something I couldn’t pass up.
“My dream has always been to race in Formula 1, and I see this move as a huge step towards that goal. For now, my focus is on giving everything I can to Cadillac F1, helping build a competitive team.”
Herta Returns To Europe
For Herta, 25, the 2026 season will mark a return to the European racing ranks, as the second-generation racer – the son of IndyCar and Champ Car driver Bryan Herta – made his European racing debut in 2015. Over a two-year period, he secured four victories, six podium finishes and five pole positions in the Euroformula Open Championship and went on to compete in six British F3 events, earning three podium finishes including a victory at Brands Hatch before returning to America in 2017.
Coming off his seventh IndyCar season, Herta has recorded nine wins, 16 pole positions, and led over 1,000 laps in his 116 career starts. He also holds the title of youngest driver to win an IndyCar Series race and pole position, a feat he achieved in 2019 at the Circuit of the Americas – home of the F1 United States Grand Prix. In addition to a successful INDYCAR career, Herta has scored multiple IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship class wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (2019 and 2022) and an overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024.
Transitioning into a new role within TWG Motorsports, Herta is the first Test Driver named by the Cadillac Formula 1® Team, following the announcement last month that experienced F1 duo Valtteri Bottas and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez will form the team’s first-ever race driver line-up during its debut season next year. Announcements on Herta’s 2026 racing program will be made in due course.
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal of Cadillac Formula 1 Team and Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsport in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 04, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Formula 1 via Getty Images
Welcome Aboard
“We are delighted to welcome Colton Herta as a Test Driver,” said Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal, Cadillac Formula 1 Team. “Colton is an exceptionally talented racer with proven speed, race craft, and maturity well beyond his years. His experience in top-level American motorsport as part of the TWG Motorsport family makes him an ideal fit for this role, and he will bring valuable and fresh insight, perspective, and energy to our team as we continue to build for the future.
“Having an American driver join an American Formula 1 team is a hugely significant moment, not only for our Team, but for American motorsport as a whole. Colton represents the passion, ambition, and competitive spirit that define the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, and we are proud to have him carry the American flag with us on the world stage.”
About Cadillac Formula 1 Team
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team is a specialist motor racing team competing in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Backed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors, the team has operations in Fishers, Indiana (USA); Charlotte, North Carolina (USA); and Silverstone, Northamptonshire (UK). With the confidence to dream big and the passion to deliver, the Cadillac Formula 1® Team is building everything from the ground up – from high-performance race cars to an inclusive, values-driven culture. The team will make its Formula 1 debut in 2026.
About TWG Motorsports
TWG Motorsports is the motorsports entity of TWG Global, unifying a robust racing portfolio across the world’s biggest stages in Formula 1®, INDYCAR, Formula E, IMSA, and NASCAR. With strategic partnerships that include General Motors on the Cadillac Formula 1® Team and ownership of Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing and Spire Motorsports, TWG Motorsports combines deep technical expertise, proven competitive excellence and industry-leading business acumen. TWG Motorsports is committed to innovating, growing and winning at the highest levels of the sport.
About GM
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucemartin/2025/09/03/indycars-colton-herta-named-cadillac-formula-1-teams-test-driver/
