IndyCar driver Colton Herta has exited his team, Andretti Global, and the premier American open-wheel racing series for a shock switch to Cadillac F1. The 25-year-old will be a test driver for the American team, which will enter F1 in 2026 as the 11th teamon the grid.Over the last couple of weeks, Herta was rumored to make a switch from IndyCar to Formula 2 in a bid to earn the required points for an FIA Super Licence, which would advance his F1 dream. While there is no movement on that front, he has officially stepped into the F1 world.Though the 25-year-old isn't eligible for an F1 seat for 2026, Cadillac F1, which falls under the same umbrella of TWG Motorsports as Andretti Global, signed him as a test driver. Colton Herta was emotional about the opportunity that would help him get closer to his childhood F1 dream."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. 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 said in the press release.Herta could've raced for Cadillac in 2026, but he couldn't gather the 40 points required to earn an FIA Super Licence and be available for an F1 seat. He earned 1 point for finishing 10th in the IndyCar standings in 2023 and 30 points for finishing runner-up in 2024.The FIA considers points accumulated in the three years before a driver's F1 entry. To earn the remaining nine points, Colton Herta needed to finish fourth (which would award him 10 points) or higher in the 2025 IndyCar standings. Alternatively, he could've finished fifth, earned eight points, and gotten the remaining one point by completing 100 km in an F1 practice session with any team this season.Unfortunately, he finished in an unexpectedly low seventh position, with the IndyCar season ending on August 31. Moreover, the FIA awards more points to F2 drivers and fewer to those in non-FIA-governed series, such as IndyCar. This led to rumors in the IndyCar paddock about his potential shift to F2 for 2026.This is the second time the FIA's points-awarding system has affected Herta, who is IndyCar's youngest race winner. In 2022, Red Bull wanted to sign the American driver to join its junior team, AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls). Colton Herta would've replaced Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly in 2023, but the FIA didn't make a Super Licence exemption for him, as he only had 32 of 40 points.The same year, he also made his F1 testing debut for McLaren at the Portimao circuit, which once hosted the Portuguese GP. He completed 162 miles and 466 laps driving McLaren's 2021 F1 challenger, the MCL35M, over the two-day test.Colton Herta's impressive performance in the test was one of the key reasons behind Cadillac F1 director Mario Andretti naming him the team's top prospect for 2026. However, the Andretti Global and General Motors-backed team has signed Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas to lead its F1 debut next year.Andretti Global/Cadillac F1 boss ready to "showcase" Colton Herta's generational talentTWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, who leads Andretti Global and Cadillac F1, had expressed in August that he was open to letting Colton Herta completely leave IndyCar for F1 if the 25-year-old gets a good opportunity to fulfil his dream. Ahead of IndyCar's penultimate race weekend of 2025 in Milwaukee, the 50-year-old spoke about the possibility."From my standpoint, I'm happy for Colton to race wherever he wants to race, and if he's at a place where (F1) is on the table, I think his talent is tremendous. He's just a generational talent, and we want to showcase it," Towriss said via Indy Star.Rumors about Colton Herta possibly eyeing a move to F2 had emerged a few days before the Milwaukee Mile 250 race weekend. He emphasized that rumors were all it was then. However, when asked about it during the Nashville season finale, the 25-year-old didn't explicitly deny the possibility.Instead, Herta declined to answer the question by highlighting that his focus was on the Nashville race and IndyCar.