Is Colton Herta risking everything for one last shot at Formula 1?

Colton Herta announced the move away from IndyCar on September 3, 2025, and joined Cadillac F1 as a reserve driver for the 2026 season as the newest F1 team prepares to make its debut. However, questions around why Herta made the move from being the lead driver of Andretti Global to a reserve for Cadillac F1 have been raised.

Colton Herta came out and detailed how racing in F1 has been his dream, and that this reserve driver role is his chance at converting that dream into a reality. But is it worth risking everything for one last shot at F1? Let's have a detailed look at the same and what the former IndyCar driver thinks about it.

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The initial speculations around Colton Herta's F1 move and how it materialized

As Cadillac F1's project was approved by the Formula One Management and FIA, Colton Herta's name popped up as one of the drivers in contention for the season. However, the American driver didn't score enough points in 2025 to get a super licence, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez being announced as the full-time Cadillac drivers.

However, as the 2025 IndyCar season came towards the end, rumors of Herta racing in F2 started circling the paddock, and just days after the season ended, an announcement of Colton moving to Cadillac and Will Power replacing him were made. Andretti-Cadillac boss Dan Towriss defined all the announcements as “choreography”.

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Colton Herta on why he made the move from IndyCar to F1

Before Colton Herta, Alex Palou tried making an attempt to make a move to F1, which failed, leading to the Spaniard dishonoring the Arrow McLaren contract, followed by a lawsuit. Palou, who achieved a lot of success with CGR in IndyCar, decided to stay in the American open wheel racing series and put the F1 dream aside.

Herta was linked to AlphaTauri (now VCARB) in 2023, but the move never materialized as the American didn't have enough superlicence points. It has been no secret that the former Andretti Global driver has been interested in F1.

NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Source: Getty

As the announcements were made, Colton Herta was questioned about why he took the risk of leaving IndyCar, where he was a well-established driver, and making a move to a series where he isn't even guaranteed a full-time seat in the foreseeable future. He replied,

“For me, it was an incredibly tough decision to make, because I know what I’m leaving behind. I’m leaving behind a great group of guys, an incredibly competitive championship where if it’s your day you can win, and we’ve seen that’s not always the case in Formula 1 – you need the car to compete.” (Via Motorsport)

“The easy thing would be to stay in IndyCar. That would be simple for me. I’d live a very similar life. It’s a risk, and it’s a dream of mine, so I thought, this is my last shot at it. I want to do it, I want to take that chance. For me, it’s really just about fighting for my dream.”

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Why does Colton Herta risking everything for the F1 chance make sense?

Since Michael Andretti left Andretti Global, Dan Towriss has taken over as the team's CEO. Soo. After the Cadillac F1 project came into existence, TWG Motorsports, a division of TWG Global, was formed, which will be the umbrella company for all of its motorsports ventures.

Cadillac F1 and Andretti Global both fall under TWG Motorsports, with Dan Towriss being the CEO of both projects. In case Colton Herta fails to make it to a full-time F1 seat in the near future, the American will have the option of going back to Andretti Global, as it's part of the same group.

On the other hand, Colton Herta will be racing in the F2 in 2026, along with the Cadillac F1 reserve driver role. If Herta finishes P8 or higher in F2, he will earn enough points for the super licence.

Cadillac F1 has signed two veteran drivers for its debut season, but is likely to have an American driver in the team once it has established its roots in F1. Herta, being in the reserve driver role, will be the perfect prospect for when the time comes.