By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Colton Herta’s INDYCAR career could be heading into its final, lifestyle-altering season in 2025.

Colton Herta. Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo

Herta has emerged as the first American driver likely to be signed by Cadillac Formula One for the team’s debut season in 2026, when General Motors’ flagship brand will enter the FIA’s globe-trotting series as its 11^th fulltime team.

Herta’s name was dropped by motorsports icon Mario Andretti, one of only two American F1 World Driving Champions, during a recent interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH. Dpa international is a German-based news agency.

“I think the focus is to have at least one American driver from the start,” said Andretti, a supervisory board member of Cadillac F1. “But it makes sense to have an experienced driver by the side of this American. This will probably be Colton Herta.”

Mario Andretti. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

A 24-year-old native of Valencia, Calif., Herta currently competes for Andretti Global with Curb Agajanian in the NTT IndyCar Series. Colton became the youngest driver to win an NTT IndyCar Series race (18 years, 11 months, 25 days) when he finished P1 at the FIA-approved Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, in 2019.

Colton is the son of former INDYCAR regular Bryan Herta, who won four races during his open-wheel driving career and a pair of Indianapolis 500s as a team-owner. Colton has scored seven wins in domestic racing’s premier open-wheel series wheeling Honda-powered cars.

Recall that Herta experienced his first taste of F1 protocol during a two-day test with McLaren in July 2022 at Portimão in Portugal. McLaren, which signed Herta to development deal earlier in 2022, offered the American track time in a 2021-spec, Mercedes-powered McLaren MCL35M. Herta completed 162 laps at the former Portuguese Grand Prix venue, the equivalent of 466 miles/750 kilometers, albeit with no lap times released.

Colton Herta. (Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo)

“It was a lot of fun, a great two days getting acclimated to the car, which is obviously quite a bit different to what I’m used to driving,” Herta said in a subsequent interview posted on autoweek.com. “It’s a little bit of a different driving style but the engineers were very helpful getting me up to speed. And what a car to drive; it’s really special to not only have a first test in a Formula 1 car but to have it in a race-winning Formula 1 car is even cooler.”

Herta added that securing an F1 seat “is a goal of mine and has been for a while.” He classified the test as an opportunity “to see what these cars are all about, and luckily, McLaren was able to give me a chance.”

Andretti, meanwhile, noted that Germany’s Mick Schumacher _ the 25-year-old son of seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher _ is on the list of drivers under consideration for Cadillac’s two open seats. “We are keeping all options open,” said Andretti, the 1978 F1 World Driving Champion with Team Lotus.

Mick Schumacher, who drove for American-owned Haas F1 Team between 2021-2022, is ticketed to compete with Alpine’s World Endurance Hypercar team in 2025. “You never know what will happen at the time of the final decision,” Andretti said. “Suddenly, someone you would never have thought of is available.”

Mario Andretti. Photo by Dana Garrett

General Motors recently appointed Graeme Lowdon as its first Team Principal. Lowdon worked as an advisor to GM and Andretti Global for two years on Cadillac’s F1 project, helping to structure the team as part of Zhou Guanyu’s management. GM/Cadillac will be the first new team to join F1 since 2016.

Californian Alexander Rossi is the most recent American to have competed in F1, having made five starts in 2015 with Manor Marussia F1 Team. Included was the United States Grand Prix in October at Circuit of The Americas, where Rossi finished a season-best 12^th. Rossi previously served as a test and development driver for Caterham F1 and Marussia F1.

Rossi shocked the motorsports world by winning the 100^th edition of the Indianapolis 500 as an oval-track and INDYCAR rookie with Andretti Autosport in 2016. Now 33, Rossi exited Arrow McLaren after the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season and will drive for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2025.

Another native Californian, Scott Speed, is the most recent American to have competed fulltime in F1, starting 28 races for Toro Rosso between 2006 and 2007 without scoring any points.

Native Floridian Phil Hill won the Formula One World Championship in September 1961 driving for Ferrari, as well as three grands prixs across eight seasons.

“The business is so unpredictable,” said Andretti, who won 12 grand prixs over 14 seasons. “All you can do is give it your best shot and build up enough strength and knowledge and experience within the team to make it through. The only goal you have in any sport is to be at the top, and you’re not just in it for fun. There are no guarantees, and that’s the beauty of it.”

Team Principal Lowdon, 59, is a British businessman/entrepreneur. He previously served as Sporting Director/CEO of Manor’s F1 entries until 2015 under the Virgin and Marussia nameplates.

“I’m truly honored to be appointed as the Team Principal of this exciting new team and I would like to thank everyone involved for placing their trust in me,” Lowdon said. “I believe that Formula 1 is the greatest team sport in the world, and teams are all about people. This is a team with a real love for, and desire to go, racing, and we have the experience and expertise to do just that.

“Racing is at the very heart of everything that we do. This is what I want to see in a team, and I really want to be part of it. I don’t underestimate the task ahead and I have the utmost respect for the competition. I look forward to the challenge of racing. In the meantime, our work continues at-pace.”

Formula One maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024. Dan Towriss, TWG Global’s motorsports business CEO, said Lowdon’s experience within F1 and the industry was a major factor in his appointment.

“Graeme has been advising our team for the last two years as we have built-out our operations,” Towriss said. “His experience on both the technical and managerial sides of Formula 1 and other motorsports ventures will serve him well as he builds the Cadillac Formula 1 team.”

GM president Mark Reuss acknowledged the role Lowdon played with the FIA during an extended development process. “Graeme has been a pleasure to work with over the past two years and we’re excited he will lead our journey to the 2026 Formula 1 grid as Team Principal,” Reuss said. “He has great racing expertise, he knows how to assemble a high-performing team and he embodies the values the Cadillac Formula 1 team will represent in all its endeavors, on or off the track.”

Formula One announced on Nov. 25 it had reached an agreement in principle with General Motors to support bringing GM/Cadillac in as the series’ 11th team in 2026. The GM/Cadillac entries will be powered by Ferrari during the 2026-2027 seasons. That timeframe will allow GM to launch an F1 power unit that will position Cadillac F1 on the path to being a “full-works” team _ building its own F1 vehicles and power units _ by the end of the decade.

“With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the U.S., we have always believed that welcoming an impressive U.S. brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport,” said Greg Maffei, president/CEO of Liberty Media. Colorado-based Liberty Media is the commercial rights-holder of F1.

“We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1,” Maffei said. “We are excited to move forward with the application process for the GM/Cadillac team to enter the Championship in 2026.”

Stefano Domenicali, president/CEO of Formula 1, added, “General Motors and Cadillac’s commitment to this project is an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport. We look forward to seeing the progress and growth of this application, certain of the full collaboration and support of all the parties involved.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem cited GM as “a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world. I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship. All parties, including the FIA, will continue to work together to ensure the process progresses smoothly.”

GM’s Reuss noted the demands of F1 racing are a target for Cadillac in its pursuit of innovation and excellence. “It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world,” Reuss said. “This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”

Similarly, TWG’s Towriss expressed confidence in the emerging GM program. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world,” Towriss said. “We appreciate the FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.”

Towriss, president/CEO of Group 1001, entered motorsports via Michael Andretti’s INDYCAR team when he signed financial savings platform Gainbridge as primary sponsor. Towriss is a major player in the motorsports scene via ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports’ NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing’s IMSA sports car organization.

Business magnate/Towriss partner Mark Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and controlling owner of both the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea.

Innovations created for F1 will contribute to GM’s push to drive the future of transportation, leveraging advanced electrification, powertrain, software and internal combustion engine technology for consumers around the globe. Launching an F1 team also figures to introduce the Cadillac brand to a diverse international audience, showcasing GM’s technology and design capabilities.

Mario Andretti, whose surname is recognized and respected world-wide, is the perfect ambassador for Cadillac F1. “My first love was Formula 1 and now _ 70 years later _ the F1 paddock is still my happy place,” said Andretti, 84. “I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life _ I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

While Mario Andretti will operate as the public face of Cadillac F1, son Michael will have no official position with the organization. The 1991 Championship Auto Racing Teams champion and winner of 42 INDYCAR races, Michael scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global toward the close of the 2024 season.

In addition, Michael Andretti’s brief tenure as an F1 driver was star-crossed. Andretti drove for Marlboro McLaren during the first 13 races of the 1993 season as teammate to three-time F1 World Champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil. However, Team Principal Ron Dennis abruptly replaced Andretti with Finland’s Mika Hakkinen for the season’s final three races _ ironically, shortly after “Mikey” had scored his first podium (third-place) result in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in mid-September.

“The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti, 62, said in a social media post.  “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!”

GM’s bid to join F1 initially was announced in January 2023. Since then, Cadillac F1 has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team has operations in Fishers, Ind.; Charlotte, N.C.; Warren, Mich., and Silverstone, England.

GM has compiled decades of racing success and a rich history of developing high-performance powertrains with over 3,000 wins and more than 100 driver and manufacturer motorsports championships.

Haas F1, the organization fielded by 72-year-old California businessman Gene Haas, is the only American team on the current F1 grid. The series’ youngest team, Haas F1 made its debut in 2016 as the first all-American-led squad since Chicagoan Carl Haas’ Lola operation competed in 1985 and 1986. Despite an initial technical agreement with Ferrari, Haas F1 has not been particularly competitive and never has employed an American driver.