A bizarre error from IndyCar has thrown a spanner in the works on the potential plan for Colton Herta to replace Valtteri Bottas at the Cadillac Formula 1 team in 2027.
Herta has emerged as a surprise candidate for the second Cadillac seat in 2027, as Bottas looks set to exit the sport after just one year driving for the American marque.
In order for this feat to be pulled off, however, Herta must qualify for an FIA Super Licence, a mandatory prerequisite for any F1 driver.
Each practice session in which a driver completes at least 100km earns one Super Licence point, and Cadillac had been advised by the FIA that Herta needed only one more to reach the 40-point minimum.
It was therefore believed that running Herta in FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix would put him in contention to cross the threshold, but instead, events took a bizarre twist after the session.
It now transpires the American is still one point short of an FIA Super Licence, despite completing 30 laps in Valtteri Bottas’s car on Friday, his fifth FP1 outing of the season.
A bizarre error
The discrepancy stems from Herta’s classification in the 2025 IndyCar standings.
He had been listed sixth, but is now classified seventh on countback behind Felix Rosenqvist, who scored more second-place finishes. Finishing lower in the standings carries fewer Super Licence points.
Herta has been chasing a Super Licence for several years. Red Bull considered him for an AlphaTauri seat, now Racing Bulls, in 2023. He lacked the required points, and the FIA rejected his request for an exemption.
This season, he has raced in Formula 2 to build his tally, while also taking FP1 sessions with Cadillac. He has struggled for pace and results in the feeder series, leading to speculation he could return to IndyCar in 2027.
The news that he is one point shy of obtaining an FIA Super Licence will be a setback for Herta, who faces a challenging decision at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
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