IndyCar star Colton Herta has once again failed to score the required 40 points to achieve an FIA superlicence.
Herta has long been linked with a potential switch to grand prix racing from IndyCar, with Red Bull's Helmut Marko keen to place him at what was then AlphaTauri in 2022, but he was not able to take the seat as he was not in possession of a superlicence.
Any driver who competes in F1 must have a superlicence, with drivers not currently in possession of one requiring at least 40 points over a three-year period to qualify.
Herta entered 2025 on 32 points following 10th-place finishes in the 2022 and 2023 IndyCar seasons, worth one point each, whilst he earned 30 for finishing as runner-up to Alex Palou in 2024.
With the point for 2022 dropping off at the end of this calendar year, Herta required nine points to reach the threshold of 40, or a fourth-placed finish at best in the IndyCar standings, according to the weighting system used to allocate superlicence points.
With one round remaining in the 2025 IndyCar season, Herta finds himself sixth in the standings following an 11th-place finish in Sunday's race in Milwaukee.
He is now 74 points behind Christian Rasmussen in that crucial fourth place, with the maximum number of points a driver can score on a single weekend being 54, meaning Herta cannot finish ahead of Rasmussen. He is also 53 points behind fifth-placed Kyle Kirkwood.
The American racer is in a fight to maintain his sixth-place in the standings, currently tied with Marcus Armstrong, whilst Will Power and Felix Rosenqvist are within striking distance.
Should Herta finish sixth in the standings, he will carry 37 superlicence points into 2026, just three away from obtaining a licence for 2027, meaning he will require an eighth-placed finish in the '26 standings.
2027 is now Herta's earliest chance to be on the F1 grid, should he find a team willing to take him.
The California-native's name had been linked with Cadillac's F1 operation, but it is understood he was never a strong candidate for a drive, notwithstanding his superlicence situation.
RacingNews365 has confirmed in the last week that F1 veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are both set to return to the grid to form an uber-experienced line-up of 527 grand prix starts for Cadillac.
A formal announcement is expected soon.
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Join RacingNews365's Sam Coop, Fergal Walsh and Nick Golding, as they look ahead to the final 10 rounds of the 2025 F1 season. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris' title fight is discussed, as is the dilemma which surrounds Red Bull's second seat.
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