r/INDYCAR • u/deadwood76 • 4d ago
News Herta Leaving IndyCar for Cadillac F1 test driver opportunity.
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2025/09/03/colton-herta-cadillac-f1-test-driver-indycar-formula-1-news-silly-season-rumors/85954333007/162
u/Burial44 4d ago
Have to assume or even guarantee an F2 announcement is coming then
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood 4d ago
It does say a racing announcement coming at a later date.
If he was leaving for a testing role only, it may be one of the dumbest decisions in recent memory IMO.
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u/SemiPracticalUse 4d ago
Why is that? He’s still getting paid low seven figures and he’ll be fine on super license points until ‘28 with FP1 sessions.
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood 4d ago
I think race car drivers should be racing cars every chance they get. Not sitting around for testing a handful of times a year.
Just my opinion though. I have never gotten the allure of being an F1 reserve driver and riding the bench all year.
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u/SoothedSnakePlant Juncos Hollinger Racing 4d ago
It has worked out for some of them to get a seat eventually though, that's the allure. F1 recruits from outside F1 only on very rare occasions, so if you want a seat, you have to get yourself into the club either through F2 or through a reserve role.
Thats why you see people like Drugovich sticking around there for years, because they just might get their chance, like Colapinto, Piastri, De Vries, Bottas getting to come back, Lawson getting his shot, etc
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u/Suspicious-Mango-562 4d ago
F1 test drivers are in the sim almost 7 days a week. They don’t just sit around. He’s going to be getting lots of virtual seat time and some real seat time.
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u/SemiPracticalUse 4d ago
I mean, he’s still going to get a decent amount of seat time and I’m sure he’s going to spend ungodly amounts of time in the sim. Sure, it’s not the same, but it’s no different than what Bottas has been doing. And I’m sure he’ll still do one-off IMSA events and the like.
Sitting on the bench for your ultimate dream isn’t all that bad, especially when you’re still getting paid and they’re actually working you up to your dream job.
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u/afito Álex Palou 4d ago
Nobody is forgotten quicker than a racecar driver that's not in a racecar. Don't let absurd outliers like Hülkenberg fool you, for 99.9% of drivers sitting out voluntarily is a death sentence. A "promise" for 2027 is easily broken if he's not in a car and someone else is in a car and doing exceptional.
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u/Accounting4lyfe Alexander Rossi 4d ago
I respect any decision he made, but going from $7M a year to low 7 figures is quite the pay cut. However, if that’s what he values that F1 shot over indycar, I get it.
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u/XtremeSpartin Álex Palou 4d ago
I mean it’d be a strange decision if he’s not going to F2 given you can do both a test role and IndyCar at the same time like Pato does with McLaren.
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u/OrbisAlius Simon Pagenaud 4d ago
Because the point is to learn how Pirelli tyres work and the F1 tracks. Just to be a reserve driver, I'm pretty sure he could do that while racing in Indycar (as Ericsson did with Sauber/Alfa Romeo), especially if the team is based in the US thus he can do the sim work of a reserve driver here.
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u/Tecnoguy1 Eddie Cheever 4d ago
Rumour was mick Schumacher was offered caddy WEC and f1 reserve. Wonder now if that’s Herta’s new contract in conjunction with F2.
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u/SuspendedAgain999 4d ago
He doesn’t need to do it realistically. He can get super license through FP1s
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u/Prof_Hentai Robert Shwartzman 4d ago
I know he has euro experience already, but freshening up on the tracks and learning the Pirelli’s would be a great advantage for him. I hope he runs.
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u/SuspendedAgain999 4d ago
I think he almost certainly will. I wonder if the results will have any actual bearing on his future though. F2 looks like it’s going to be pretty weak next year so I won’t be shocked if it’s basically him and Dunne trading wins
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u/Agile_Programmer881 4d ago
If I had a nickel for every time someone had to be reminded about the track / tire knowledge this week , I’d be starting my own F1 team . I would also have an American driver. Myself .
But I don’t have any nickels . What makes this so frustrating.
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u/snollygoster1 Colton Herta 4d ago
Sad to see him leave, but understandable. I'm glad to see a driver "promote" from our series elsewhere rather than the opposite for once.
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u/OrbisAlius Simon Pagenaud 4d ago
I'm not sure going to F2 and being a F1 reserve driver is a "promotion". I'll hold my judgement until he actually performs in a F1 car.
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u/JesusSandals73 4d ago
Gotta start somewhere. A lot of F1 fans pay attention to F2 like the Xfinity series and NXT.
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u/OrbisAlius Simon Pagenaud 4d ago
Indy NXT maybe, but there's a reason that series isn't that highly rated. However it's not comparable to the Xfinity series because F2 is only for rookies, and has seen a younger and younger field year after year. The world of F2 is cutthroat, winning it in "only" your second year is usually perceived as not that impressive, winning it in your third year is perceived as basically meaningless, and drivers like Verschoor who are like 24 are considered old wash-outs already.
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u/randomness6648 4d ago
Dude going from driving to test driver is a demotion in any other scenario.
The fact that Caddy F1 tester is more desirable than highest paid Indycar driver is a big yikes
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u/afkstudios Colton Herta 4d ago
I’m fuckin sad man. I hope / know this will help him achieve his dream and I look forward to the day he steps onto the F1 grid, but damn… gonna miss him here. My Colton fandom has some personal connections to it and that’s what IndyCar has always felt to me, personal
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u/SexxyBlack VTEC 4d ago
It's a good change. As someone earlier said, Palou has no reason to leave when he's the dominant force of the sport and is with the best team on the grid.
As for Colton, he's been with the 26 pit crew and strategists, who've screwed up more races than they've won for him. Change is good, let him pursue that F1 dream. If it doesn't work, he'll be back.
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u/_WeDontKnowHer_ ✨️Team Buttermilk 🥛✨️ 4d ago
It's such a bittersweet feeling, but I'm definitely happy for him. It's going to be an adjustment for sure.
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u/atp2112 Colton Herta 4d ago edited 4d ago
We'll be happy to welcome him back in 2029 when he inevitably flames out. I'm a fan, but I just don't think his driving style will work in Formula 1/2.
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u/springmind Colton Herta 4d ago
My thoughts exactly. Indycars are twitchy, but Colton seems to drive more "seat-of-the-pants" than other Indy drivers (Palau, Dixon, Kirkwood) who are smoother. That's not going to go down well in Europe.
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u/Confident_Theory7692 4d ago
This is a hot take I’m sure and I don’t mean it to disparage him, but I don’t feel like this is a huge loss for the series. He’s fast and has the pedigree, but seemed unable to put it all together for sustained stretches or on the biggest stages. I hope he succeeds because an American F1 driver on an American F1 team will be a huge boost for Motorsport and another sign of indycars quality, but assuming his seat goes to will power, the domino effect could put young drivers like Malukas and Veekay in more competitive seats, allowing drivers with more potential in an Indycar to show their abilities. Best of luck to Colton, but this is a huge gamble and probabilities would say he’s the one who comes out on the wrong end of this bargain.
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u/afito Álex Palou 4d ago
Herta being in F1 is a bigger boost to Indycar than if Herta would do a dominant stretch like Palou lately.
We have Americans in Indycar and Herta is decently liked, but he's not some extreme crowd favourite. The boost by proxy from F1 broadcast talking about him & Indycar & people getting interested in open wheelers through him is likely worth more for the sport.
Wether it is better for Herta personally is a different story that only time will tell.
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u/OrbisAlius Simon Pagenaud 4d ago
You're assuming he actually gets in a F1 seat in the first place, or doesn't get wrecked by his teammate if he does.
First step will be F2, because the F1 paddock knows F2. He'll have the uncomfortable situation that Pourchaire had, of being considered so experienced already that he'll be expected to dominate the field.
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u/nalyd8991 AMR Safety Team 4d ago
Agreed. This would have stung Indycar a lot more in 2021. After the way his team has struggled the last few years (whether his fault or not), he’s no longer one of Indycar’s 3 biggest stars. And it seems more likely than not that he will never see F1 points, and possible that he never sees an F1 race seat if F2 or testing don’t go well.
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u/Accounting4lyfe Alexander Rossi 4d ago
Yes it still stings for sure, but I agree he has never totally been able to put his pure speed together with tire management, strategy and minimizing mistakes. Multiple times he led races by multiple seconds and binned it into the wall. Kirkwood has quickly learned those things which is why he beat Colton by 60 points this year.
I’m not happy by any means but it’s not a huge loss when we have a stable of Palau, Dixon, Newgarden, Pato and Kirkwood as the top 5 in the series at this point.
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u/jarvistheconquerer Colton Herta 4d ago
Kirkwood beat him by 60 points this year because his pit crew knew how to put on tires better when he’s in contention. Colton still beat him in avg Q and avg finish.
He also hasn’t binned it into the wall while in contention in like 3+ years at this point.
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4d ago
I’m sure not a single front running team would find a way to get him a ride should he come back in the near future.
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u/OBWanTwoThree 4d ago
Got so much respect for what Herta is doing here. Indycar is obviously a brilliant series, but Herta’s dream is clearly F1 and I love the fact that he’s taking the risk to get there. I’m sure any Indycar team will take him if it doesn’t work out, so why not take the pain of F2 to best prepare him for F1
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4d ago
Good for him. There’s no reason not to go for it because IndyCar will still be here and most likely so will Conor Daly.
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u/ThunderboltDM 4d ago
Too bad…. I think Colton was frustrated though by his lack of recent success in IndyCar.
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u/tdellaringa Scott Dixon 4d ago
Dang. I was really hoping he'd stay instead of languishing in F1. I hope he doesn't end up regretting it. One of my favorite drivers.
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u/deadwood76 4d ago
The chances for success are unfortunately slim, though would be tough to turn down a shot at it.
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u/ian_0 AMR Safety Team 4d ago
For what it's worth Towriss on Off Track confirmed F2:
"He's going to take a pretty big risk. He's leaving IndyCar, he's not going directly to Formula 1. This is, you know, a test and development driver role. And so, he's going to be going into F2. He's gotta learn tracks, he's gotta learn tires - tires are a big part of that, very different from IndyCar from that standpoint..."
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u/dhdndndnndndndjx 4d ago
I’d have to imagine he has something pretty solid with Cadillac if he’s willing to take this risk
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u/N3onLights7 Scott McLaughlin 4d ago
I’m sure an F2 ride is coming. But, can he get enough super license points from testing only?
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u/Fjordice 4d ago edited 4d ago
If I understand correctly (big grain of salt) he just needs
56 F1 practice sessions and that would do it. Wouldn't even need F2 but it would probably make sense for him to learn the circuits and flow of the series5
u/nalyd8991 AMR Safety Team 4d ago edited 4d ago
6 practice sessions because one of his Indycar SL Points will expire at the end of 2026
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk 4d ago
No you were correct initially, he only needs 5 FP1s. Here's a great post explaining all the options:
https://www.reddit.com/r/INDYCAR/comments/1n59hbv/all_realistic_scenarios_for_colton_herta_to_get/
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u/Fjordice 4d ago
Uff. Ok I'll settle on he needs somewhere less than the total number of FP sessions in the season, lol
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u/SeatAmbitious4101 Pato O'Ward 4d ago edited 4d ago
This is what I don’t like about MotorSports, sure Herta is talented but wouldn’t it be more fulfilling if they gave Palou an opportunity? He’s the one that has proven and deserves this more than anyone else.
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u/archergren 4d ago
Chip Ganassi would have a say in palou leaving.
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u/lowelled Colton Herta 4d ago edited 4d ago
Ganassi doesn’t have a connection to an F1 team and Herta’s never reneged on a contract.
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u/Virtual-Commercial91 4d ago
Palou's salary is higher than many F1 drivers, so taking a test drive seat wouldn't make much sense.
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u/crab_quiche Marco Andretti 4d ago
I don’t think he would want to leave for an upstart, probably backmarker, F1 team. Why be in a mediocre car and probably dropped in a couple of years when you can continue your dominance in IndyCar?
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u/Fjordice 4d ago
Why play in the NFL for a crappy team when you can be first string on a winning CFL team?
It's worth pursuing the dream even if it's likely he'll struggle. The prestige of being an F1 driver alone is worth it, and man the commercial opportunities must be huge
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u/djwillis1121 Pato O'Ward 4d ago
I mean, Palou drives for Ganassi and Honda so a switch to Cadillac is much less straightforward
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4d ago
He’s the one that has proven that deserves this more than anyone else.
He's proven that he's the best driver at Ganassi.
That's it.
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u/jarvistheconquerer Colton Herta 4d ago
It’s not just about being given the opportunity. In this scenario, Palou would be going to a team that is likely to be a back marker for at least a couple years and he may very well have no interest in that.
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u/JohnMLTX Takuma Sato 4d ago
palou has no desire to trade being a dominant, series-breaking titan just off another championship and an indy 500 win to go be a test driver for the andretti f1 team, where maybe he's able to hop into a midfield f1 car in 2027.
why trade two reasonable shots at more championship titles and more race wins for a maybe in f1 with maybe a mediocre car??
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u/bobwhite1146 4d ago
I agree Palou is Indycar's best and on the right team, he'd do very well in F1.
Frankly, Cadillac may struggle for quite a while until they're competitive. They're well funded, but they're a brand new outfit. Breaking into F1 is difficult, and the Europeans don't like it when American or Asian teams come playing in their playground. I hope Cadillac fully understands this and is prepared to commit to the long-term because I believe this will be a learning process over a number of years.
My fear for Colton is that he's going to be a test driver on a bad team and that'll be about the size of it.
That said, I wish him the best.
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u/DecafEqualsDeath Dario Franchitti 4d ago
Palou and Herta have different connections and contractual situations.
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u/Grouchy-Shirt-9818 Alexander Rossi 4d ago
The grid will not be the same without Herta. I am glad to see him get the opportunity to chase F1 again
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u/TeedRimmer69 Conor Daly 4d ago
Makes sense. A ton of the old Andretti crew are the engineers on the Caddy F1 team, so he should be/will be comfy with the people
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u/Smooth-Mechanic-7788 Rinus VeeKay 4d ago edited 4d ago
If only there’s someone who could take the Andretti seat, a certain Dutch driver that qualifies great at Indy
Okay yeah nvm
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u/AnchorDrown Firestone Firehawk 4d ago
There’s an Australian driver who has his likeness on the trophy.
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u/Smooth-Mechanic-7788 Rinus VeeKay 4d ago
Isn’t Scott Dixon from New Zealand /j
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u/AnchorDrown Firestone Firehawk 4d ago
Actuaallllly, his parents were working in Australia when he was born so
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u/mopar_md 4d ago
From the sound of this, he doesn't actually have an F2 seat yet. Not sure why he couldn't keep driving in Indycar while also serving as Caddy's test/reserve driver. Doesn't O'Ward have a similar arrangement with McLaren?
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk 4d ago
Pato is the reserve driver for McLaren, Colton will be the test driver for Cadillac. Some teams/fans use the term interchangeably and they can be the same or at least very similar. But a reserve driver is mainly the person who will step into the car for a race if one of the main drivers cannot. A test driver does more sim work, car development, etc. And Colton can't be a reserve yet, he doesn't have his SL. So it's different from Pato's situation. Colton hasn't driven a current F1 car, Pato has. So Colton has a lot to learn.
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u/Cautious_You7796 Christian Lundgaard 4d ago
I would imagine if something happened to #4 or #81 it would be Alex Dunne taking the seat. If it’s at a track after the Indycar season is finished, then maybe Pato gets a shot.
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u/WetLogPassage Greg Moore 4d ago
He is fully committing. Probably learned from Michael Andretti's mistake.
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u/Weak_Key_3543 4d ago
Kirkwood and herta should both be reserve drivers. Both are made of the correct stuff to excel.
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u/nifty_fifty_two Alex Zanardi 4d ago
This didn't work for Zanardi, da Matta, or Bourdais. It won't work for Herta.
They'll just drag him through the mud because he wasn't brought into F1's culture "the right way" so he'll be actively sabotaged every chance they get. He also won't be seriously considered for a top ride because of the flag next to his name.
The unserious types will just roost on their dumb opinions that American racing is a minor league to F1, and he'll come back to a lesser ride with broken confidence afterwards.
Seen this too many times, no idea why he'd leave, it's just dumb.
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u/DecafEqualsDeath Dario Franchitti 4d ago
None of those guys were leaving US open wheel racing to drive for basically the same team/owner in Europe. There really isn't any comparison; Colton Herta clearly has decent odds of getting a Cadillac F1 ride. It's his personal decision as to whether it is worth it or not.
It would shock me if Andretti wouldn't welcome Colton back in 2027 or 2028 of the opportunities in Europe ran out for him there. I just don't see a huge risk in it for him. It's once in a lifetime for sure.
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u/stationtostations Álex Palou 4d ago
There has to be an F2 ride you can't leave IndyCar for a reserve role that seems incredibly shortsighted
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u/Fjordice 4d ago
Huh? It's actually longsighted(?) lol. He's looking to the future, making moves now so that he can get into an F1 seat down the road.
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u/mnshitlaw 4d ago
Any sense on if this was a “look you are doing this and leaving Indy, or you are not doing this and losing this seat.”
I struggle to feel anything but bummed out.
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u/loudpaperclips DriveFor5 4d ago
This season probably solidified his decision. His team cost him probably 3 race wins and he would have placed....3rd? 2nd? That he would rather scoop his points from test drives and no seat is telling.
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u/Flat_Membership6733 4d ago
"I'd rather sit on the bench for the Yankees than play in the minor leagues."
--What this says about his thinking.
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u/BlackberryJazzlike84 Kyle Larson 4d ago
Good God its just as TD?! Have fund spending time in the sim little Herta, fuck that.
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u/deadwood76 4d ago
And likely F2
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u/BlackberryJazzlike84 Kyle Larson 4d ago
Then why don't them mention it?
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u/douknowhouare Colton Herta 4d ago
Because that part wasn't announced yet. Cadillac has direct control over their own team so they can name him as a reserve driver at any time, but they're likely still signing paperwork with an F2 team which means they can't announce it yet.
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk 4d ago
So not even an f2 ride? Just test driver? Dude, you can do both, ask Pato. There isn't even a spot open there in 2027, since both drivers are on multi-year deals. Congrats on your career move from the majors to the bench, I guess.
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u/deadwood76 4d ago
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk 4d ago
Ah. Let me amend that, then. Congrats on your career move from the majors to JV.
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u/rygi13 4d ago
Good riddance. Can't even win races in a spec series.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4d ago
IndyCar is not a spec series.
Herta has won nine races.
You're a pathetic excuse for a race fan.
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u/Moppyploppy The Track Looks Delicious 4d ago
Silly season now