Top candidate for Cadillac seems to drop out: These drivers are the alternatives

Andretti has never made a secret of the fact that Colton Herta is a top favorite to drive one of the two Cadillacs in F1 in 2026. However, an obstacle is that the American does not have a Superlicense and thus cannot participate in Grands Prix.

To acquire that Superlicense, Herta must finish at least fourth in the IndyCar championship in which he is also participating this season. Only then, together with previously acquired license points, will Herta have at least 40 points and be able to successfully apply for a Superlicense.

But Herta's season in IndyCar is not going as hoped. After more than half of the races have been run, the American is found in tenth place (with 184 points). Although the fourth place Felix Rosenqvist is in sight (231 points), this also applies to the drivers behind him in the standings. For example, Alexander Rossi is thirteenth with 161 points.

In short, Herta needs an extremely good last part of the season to still finish at least fourth in the overall ranking. If that doesn't work out, Cadillac will have to look further. If the team insists on having an American - which has never been expressly stated - then Jak Crawford could be an alternative. The Development Driver for Aston Martin is fourth in the F2 championship and must finish at least fifth to collect enough points for a Superlicense.

Drivers like Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are being considered for racing with Cadillac. While it was always assumed the new team wanted to hire one veteran and one younger talent, it's definitely not ruled out that it could be two veterans - in the absence of a youngster.