"Highest-paid F2 driver ever": Pato O'Ward speaks out about Colton Herta's shock IndyCar exit and Cadillac F1 move

Pato O'Ward has shared his honest take on Colton Herta's surprising IndyCar exit to join Cadillac F1 as a test driver from 2026. The Arrow McLaren driver also spoke about the 'downgrade' that Herta will take next year to race in Formula 2 with junior drivers.

Herta, IndyCar's youngest race winner, harbored a dream of racing in F1 since his childhood. However, he couldn't advance beyond a certain stage in the European circuit and moved back to America, eventually rising to become an IndyCar championship contender.

Unfortunately, because of the FIA's "unfair" points-awarding system for IndyCar drivers to earn a Super Licence, an F1 eligibility criterion, the Andretti Global driver couldn't realize his F1 dream. After the 2025 IndyCar season ended, Cadillac F1, which falls under the same umbrella of TWG Motorsports as Andretti Global, signed him for 2026 and beyond as a test driver.

Colton Herta at the NTT INDYCAR Series Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

Alongside those duties, Colton Herta will also race in F2 to 'earn' his way to an F1 seat. Pato O'Ward, who finished runner-up in the 2025 IndyCar championship, addressed this situation on the StickersAndSendIt podcast on indycarlive.com.

"There's gonna be a lot of pressure on him," O'Ward said. "There's gonna be a lot of eyes on him because he's really downgrading; there's no doubt about that. He only needs four points (correction: Herta needs 6 points) for the Super Licence. The only reason why I think the guy that pays the bills, Gainbridge, would want Colton to do this would be probably to meet some of the tracks. Otherwise, I really think... you could just do four FP1s (correction: 6 Free Practice sessions) and have your Super Licence."

O'Ward, who is also McLaren's F1 reserve driver, re-emphasized that TWG Motorsports wants Colton Herta to race in F2 to learn the tracks and get an understanding of the Pirelli tires, and not just to earn Super Licence points. He then highlighted how Herta, who earned $7 million annually at Andretti Global and was IndyCar's highest-paid driver, would become the highest-paid F2 driver in the sport's history.

"For Colton, it's a win-win. He's still getting paid in his salary and he's gonna be the highest F2 driver paid ever, ever existed, and he gets a shot into F1. I don't think he'd be taking this if he didn't kind of have something in writing for a Formula 1 seat. So honestly, I'm happy for him, looking forward to see how he does," O'Ward added.

Cadillac boss Dan Towriss emphasizes Colton Herta isn't 'guaranteed' an F1 seat

Dan Towriss at the F1 Italian Grand Prix - Practice - Source: Getty

TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, who manages both Andretti Global and Cadillac F1, recently highlighted that Colton Herta won't simply be handed an F1 seat because he's part of the same larger organization. Though Towriss acknowledged that driving in F1 has been Herta's years-long dream, a seat will need to be earned.

"For Colton, this has always been a dream of his, to drive in F1, but to do that, this is the path he had to take. He has to take a huge risk, a huge amount of risk – no seat is guaranteed. This is F1, so he wants to learn tracks and tyres and show that respect to European open-wheel racing," Towriss said via Sky Sports F1.

"The entitlement model from the US hasn’t worked out that well in the past, so we really want to build that body of work, the knowledge that’s necessary, to see if he has what it takes to drive in Formula 1," he added.

In 2026, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will drive for Cadillac F1. Colton Herta needs six more points to hit the 40-point mark required to earn an FIA Super Licence. As long as he finishes in eighth place or higher in the 2026 F2 standings, he will complete the task.

While his IndyCar replacement at Andretti Global has been confirmed in Will Power, it remains to be seen which F2 team Colton Herta drives for next year.