Mario Andretti still campaigning for Colton Herta at Cadillac: "He deserves to come to F1"

In Miami, a team is stirring up the paddock and yet it is not yet racing in Formula 1. That team is, of course, Cadillac. For F1's first appearance in the United States this season, and just months before its grand debut in the sport, the American manufacturer will mark the occasion with a major presentation scheduled for Saturday, May 3, at the Queen Miami Beach. During this event, Cadillac will present the progress of its project and its new colors for 2026.

This weekend, the entire top brass of the future team is in Florida, on the sidelines of the Miami Grand Prix, with Graeme Lowdon (Team Principal) and Mario Andretti, a member of the Cadillac team's board of directors, in attendance. The 1978 Formula 1 world champion is obviously in high demand this weekend in Miami, and the former American driver has to answer the many questions surrounding the Cadillac project. One question that's burning our minds is: who will be the first Cadillac drivers in 2026?

During an interview with our colleagues at L'ÉquipeMario Andretti did not want to give any clues, even though he assured that there was no shortage of candidates to occupy one of the two new seats available in F1. “I stopped counting [calls] a long time ago, confided the American leader, now 85 years old. I've even had people who are barely pilots send me CVs! That's how passionate people are about our project. But as [Greame] Lowdon must have told you, we're still evaluating [the possibilities].

Cadillac has "a fairly clear idea" for its pilots

However, there is one name that Mario Andretti has dared to mention. The same name that has been brought up for several months: Colton Herta. When asked if one of the two seats would be promised to an American driver – which was Andretti's wish at the beginning of his candidacy to join F1 – the 1978 world champion assured that the current driver ofIndyCar was still in Cadillac's good books. "First, this seat will be awarded on merit, but yes, having an American driver in our project would make sense, explained Mario Andretti. Colton Herta, for example, is talented. He is still young (25 years old) and has already made a name for himself in Europe. He was racing against Lando Norris and drivers of that caliber. He came back to Indycar and won there. He even became the youngest winner in the sport. So, yes, he deserves to come to Formula 1. He's definitely a candidate."

In recent weeks, the Colton Herta track seemed to have taken a hit, with Cadillac preferring to focus on experience to recruit its first two drivers. In Miami, the Sergio Pérez option set the paddock alight: however, the Mexican has reportedly not yet signed with the American team and is in discussions with other teams. Other candidates, such as Valtteri Bottas ou Guanyu-Zhou are also mentioned. And why not more prestigious pilots like Fernando Alonso or even, Sebastian Hag to advance the new stable? "We're considering all options. So drivers of this caliber are obviously part of our thinking, Mario Andretti replied to the mention of these two world champions. But we already have a pretty clear idea of ​​what we want to do. Don't try to get me to name names. You'll know as soon as the decision is made."

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