One point short, Herta says an IndyCar return could end his F1 hopes

Colton Herta remains one point short of the 40 required for a superlicence, leaving him short of eligibility for a potential Formula 1 race seat. He described his chance to reach F1 as “now or never” during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.

On Friday, Herta deputised for Valtteri Bottas in FP1 and appeared to earn the 40th point after completing his 24th lap. An error on the IndyCar website listed him sixth in the 2025 standings, rather than the seventh place he had actually earned; Cadillac's internal calculation used the incorrect position. Herta said he had not followed the confusion and had believed before the weekend that 100 kilometres in FP1 would bring him to 40 points.

Asked whether this was his last chance to become a full-time grand prix driver, Herta said he thought so, adding that he did not think he could return to IndyCar and later get another F1 opportunity. He said he did not know whether the plan would mean a race seat in 2027 or 2028, and hoped decisions would be made within a month.

Herta said he was ready for a 2027 F1 race seat if selected. He credited Cadillac with showing faith in him through its FP1 outings and investing resources in his preparation, but said the outcome remained guesswork. Fred Vesti has also declared an interest in Cadillac's second seat after a strong FP1 for Mercedes.

Another practice outing is expected for Herta in Brazil to complete the superlicence requirement, which would make him eligible for a potential F1 race seat if Bottas is dropped.