Cadillac fans have already picked a long-term teammate for Colton Herta after test driver announcement

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Cadillac have confirmed IndyCar star Colton Herta has been picked as their test driver for the 2026 season.

Herta is set to return to racing in Europe after making his debut in 2015, when he competed in Euroformula Open and British F3 where he earned four victories and three podiums respectively.

In the announcement put out by Cadillac, Herta claimed that it was a “dream” of his to race in Formula 1 and that the move to the American squad was a “huge step” towards that goal.

Reacting to the news on social media website Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), a few fans gave Cadillac their thoughts on a dream lineup for the future.

F1 fans want to see Colton Herta paired with Pato O’Ward in the future

Cadillac have already confirmed Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be their main drivers for 2026, giving them a lot of experience in their first season.

Several fans want to see Herta paired with fellow IndyCar star Pato O’Ward in the future, with one fan commenting: “Herta x Pato future for the team!”

Another fan commented: “Pato x Herta would be so great in a few years,” while one fan said: “”He should be a primary driver with O’Ward.”

Fellow fans also felt that O’Ward would be a great option, after he finished runner up in the IndyCar championship this year: “Pato O’Ward is the Best option and driver Cadillac!!!!”

Another fan also thinks O’Ward would be a good option, especially after he was given seat time at McLaren last year and is set to run in FP1 at Mexico: “Uncle Cadillac and why they didn’t pick @patriciooward.”

One fan commented: “So pleased for @ColtonHerta! Deserves a chance- it would be amazing to see him in F2 as well… now just need @PatricioOWard to find an F1 drive…”

Does Colton Herta qualify for an F1 superlicence?

At the moment, Colton Herta does not qualify for a superlicence as he does not have the 40 points required to obtain one based on his performance in IndyCar.

The FIA superlicence criteria takes into account the last three seasons and a driver’s finishing positions, and Herta would only have 35 points.

This is after his seventh-place finish this season, second-place in 2024, and 10th place in 2023 in the IndyCar drivers’ championship.

Herta could earn more points if he competed in Formula 2 next season and finished inside the top eight places in the championship if he wanted to secure his place on the grid.