Herta abandons F2 route to F1 as Cadillac driver pathway hits dead end

Herta sits 19th in the F2 standings with three rounds remaining and has scored points only once across his last 13 races. He confirmed that he still needs two more Super Licence points to reach the 40 required over a three-year period to be eligible for an F1 seat, and his current results offer no realistic route to accumulating them, as GPBlog reported.

"I think we'll just have to wait and see," Herta said of his future. "But I'm not interested in another year in Formula 2."

Herta's Super Licence shortfall grew worse at the Italian Grand Prix, where a hydraulic failure ended his FP1 outing prematurely. He was five laps into his running when he was instructed to stop the car, meaning he did not complete the 100 kilometres needed to earn a point from the session. The setback followed a heavy qualifying crash in Madrid, where Herta was too unwell to contest either F2 race.

One more FP1 session is planned, but Herta does not believe it will be enough. Asked if the remaining appearance could complete his Super Licence requirement, he admitted: "I don't think so."

Cadillac has made no secret of its interest in eventually putting an American driver in one of its cars, and Herta had been viewed as one of the obvious candidates. But his F2 results have done little to advance that cause.

The team has been tracking Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, whose recent F2 form, including four pole positions and two feature race victories, has attracted growing interest.

Sergio Perez holds a two-year deal that carries him through the 2027 season, and Cadillac fired founding team principal Graeme Lowdon in August, replacing him with former Alpine director Marcin Budkowski, adding to the sense of an organisation still shaping its direction.

Herta put a successful IndyCar career on pause to chase his Formula 1 dream, but that gamble has not delivered the results he needed.