Mario Andretti reveals plan for MASSIVE Cadillac F1 driver announcement

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Andretti reveals plan for MASSIVE Cadillac F1 driver announcement

Cadillac will join the F1 grid in 2026

Chris Deeley

Wednesday 26 February 2025 20:00

IndyCar legend Mario Andretti has backed a star of his old sport to join Formula 1 in 2026, as part of the new Cadillac-General Motors team.

There has been a significant history of drivers swapping between the two open-wheel championships with some success, with four drivers winning titles in both: Andretti himself, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Jacques Villeneuve.

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Andretti is now an advisor to the incoming Cadillac team in F1, backed by GM, which will become the sport's 11th team in 2026.

The team have insisted since their confirmation on the grid that they're looking to have an American driver as part of their lineup, and Andretti was effusive in his praise for one particular driver this month.

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Speaking to Motorsport.com, Andretti strongly backed Andretti Global star Colton Herta for the seat, and named a possible timing for the announcement.

“Zak Brown gave him a good test at Portimao in Portugal. You should see the report that we got from [McLaren team principal] Andrea Stella. Andrea is an individual that says it like it is – so again, [Herta is] a great candidate. All of this has to be proven, of course, but going in, he’s a good bet, in my opinion.”

He added; "Everything is on-going right now. You think about those things every day, and that's going to become official probably mid-year."

Herta does not yet hold a Super Licence, although he may well earn the points necessary to qualify for the FIA testing which could grant him entry into F1. “Some mistakes were made last year that cost him a championship, and unfortunately that happens,” Andretti noted.

“Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself and then you make that mistake. When you look at the ingredients that were there, you had the ingredients of a champion. But for just one of those instances, he could have been champion. So, when you look back and assess all those things, you’ve got to feel pretty good.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Formula 1 Christian Horner Cadillac Mario Andretti