Colton Herta cleared superlicence hurdle for Cadillac Formula 1 seat
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 6, 2026
Herta’s superlicence
Colton Herta earned the final superlicence point he needed for Formula 1 by completing his sixth FP1 appearance of the 2026 season at Interlagos, clearing the path for a possible full-time Cadillac Formula 1 seat in 2027. Herta had entered the weekend one point short of the required 40 after an IndyCar standings correction moved him from sixth to seventh in the 2025 championship and left him on 39 superlicence points. That change overturned Cadillac’s earlier belief that he had already reached the threshold after Mexico and made the next FP1 run matter all over again. Cadillac gave Herta another practice chance in Sergio Perez’s car to settle the issue, and he used it to get over the line. Herta finished 20th in first practice at Interlagos and was 0.904 seconds slower than Valtteri Bottas, who placed 15th. The session gave Herta the point he needed and ended the immediate superlicence question that had surrounded his path to Formula 1.
Cadillac’s lineup
Cadillac still has not formally confirmed its 2027 driver lineup, and the new superlicence total only sharpens the choice the team faces. The organization is deciding whether to keep Valtteri Bottas for a second year or promote Herta to a race seat for 2027. Herta’s result in first practice changes his eligibility, but it does not settle Cadillac’s plan. The team now has the option to keep the lineup stable or move with Herta. That decision sits inside a bigger picture for Cadillac, which is coming off a difficult debut season and still has several issues to sort through before it locks down its long-term direction. Bottas said he was surprised by the speculation around his future. He said nothing had changed with his situation at Cadillac. He also said the team has bigger problems to solve than its driver lineup, a reminder that the focus inside the garage extends beyond who occupies the two seats in 2027.
Perez and Bottas
Sergio Perez’s role in the story gave Herta the opening he needed, and Perez later made clear he sees room for both Herta and Bottas at Cadillac. Herta was deputizing for Perez in first practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which put him in the car for the outing that delivered the decisive superlicence point. That chance mattered because Cadillac had already used another FP1 outing to address the point shortage after the standings correction. With the superlicence issue now resolved, Herta has moved into the group Cadillac can fully consider for a race seat. Bottas remains in the picture as the driver the team may keep for a second year, which keeps the 2027 discussion open even after Herta crossed the licensing line. Perez’s view that both drivers deserve a chance fits the broader state of play around Cadillac, where the team has not made a final call and the competitive and organizational questions continue to outweigh any single result in practice.
