Colton Herta has finally qualified for an FIA superlicence, paving the way for him to potentially graduate to an F1 race seat in 2027.
Herta took over Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac F1 car during Free Practice 1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and after completing 24 laps of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, racked up the 100km of running required to earn a point towards his superlicence.
Crucially, this was Herta's 40th superlicence point, meaning he has reached the magic tally required to receive a superlicence and potentially race in F1.
Herta, according to the team, had been on 39 points following his FP1 outing in the United States, with the bulk of these coming in his 2024 IndyCar season, where he achieved 30 points for finishing as runner-up.
The Californian had racked up three extra points through his FP1 outings in Barcelona, Austria, and the United States to take him to 39 points overall, with a Cadillac spokesperson confirming to RacingNews365 that it would be "remiss" not to give him a chance to achieve his superlicence.
Herta had driven Perez's car in another FP1 outing in Italy, but due to technical issues, did not complete the required 100km to earn a point, only managing 25km of running.
This has now been achieved, meaning Herta is now free to race in F1 should he be able to find a seat.
He has made no secret of his desire to race in F1, with a potential path emerging in recent weeks at Cadillac.
Team boss Marcin Budkowski did not immediately shut down rumours of a potential driver swap when questioned in Austin, with the team then re-signing Sergio Perez to a long-term deal until the end of 2029 - with Bottas's future in doubt.
Herta is understood to be a contender for a 2027 F1 race seat if a change is made - with the final hurdle of gaining a superlicence now cleared.
A previous attempt by Herta to race in F1 in 2022 was denied by the FIA. At the time, Helmut Marko was keen to sign him for what was then AlphaTauri, but the request for a waiver to compete without a superlicence was denied.
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