F1 2025

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Ferrari reveal special tribute livery for this weekend's Italian GP at Monza

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It pays homage to the 1975 Ferrari 312T

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INDYCAR STAR COLTON HERTA SIGNED TO CADILLAC AS TEST DRIVER​

IndyCar racer Colton Herta will spend the 2026 season as Cadillac’s test driver, following the signing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the team’s main driver pairing.

www.formula1.com

IndyCar star Colton Herta signed to Cadillac as test driver

IndyCar racer Colton Herta will spend the 2026 season as Cadillac’s test driver, following the signing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the team’s main driver pairing.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com
 
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PCWARITM said:
Indeed, few observers are expecting Red Bull's in-house engines to be on par with the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari from year one. But in order to avoid a huge disparity in engine performance across the grid, as last seen between 2014 and 2017 when Mercedes initially stole a march on the rest of the field and Honda struggled for years to become competitive, the FIA will introduce a safety net that will give manufacturers who are significantly behind for development headroom to catch up

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The more variables for 2026, the better imho.
 
PCWARITM said:
Indeed, few observers are expecting Red Bull's in-house engines to be on par with the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari from year one. But in order to avoid a huge disparity in engine performance across the grid, as last seen between 2014 and 2017 when Mercedes initially stole a march on the rest of the field and Honda struggled for years to become competitive, the FIA will introduce a safety net that will give manufacturers who are significantly behind for development headroom to catch up

Click to expand...

It is really going to be so interesting to see what RB comes up with, but I also can't see them pulling a rabbit out the hat on their first attempt. It will take a few years.
 
quovadis said:

INDYCAR STAR COLTON HERTA SIGNED TO CADILLAC AS TEST DRIVER​

IndyCar racer Colton Herta will spend the 2026 season as Cadillac’s test driver, following the signing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the team’s main driver pairing.

www.formula1.com

IndyCar star Colton Herta signed to Cadillac as test driver

IndyCar racer Colton Herta will spend the 2026 season as Cadillac’s test driver, following the signing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the team’s main driver pairing.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com
Click to expand...

Interesting call from Cadillac and I guess a good one from a marketing and public perception perspective. Curious though if Herta will then completely step away from Indy Car to take up this role or will he still race there between F1 weekends. Article doesn't specify.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Interesting call from Cadillac and I guess a good one from a marketing and public perception perspective. Curious though if Herta will then completely step away from Indy Car to take up this role or will he still race there between F1 weekends. Article doesn't specify.
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I'd think that he'd continue as is and simply do testing state-side since a lot of their development will be in the US.
 
quovadis said:
I'd think that he'd continue as is and simply do testing state-side since a lot of their development will be in the US.
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So they haven't selected him as a reserve driver then as that driver would need to be available at a drop of a hat in the event one of Perez or Bottas can't race.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Interesting call from Cadillac and I guess a good one from a marketing and public perception perspective. Curious though if Herta will then completely step away from Indy Car to take up this role or will he still race there between F1 weekends. Article doesn't specify.
Click to expand...

His seat at Andretti has been taken by Will Power, so it looks to be a full-time switch to F1.

Just one day after his 17-year tenure at Team Penske officially came to an end, two-time IndyCar champion Will Power has already announced plans to race for Andretti Global in 2026.

He will pilot the No. 26 Honda, replacing American driver Colton Herta, who ended the 2025 season seventh in the championship standings. Herta will be leaving IndyCar to chase the Formula 1 dream, announcing on Wednesday that he will become an official test driver for the Cadillac F1 Team.
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EDIT: Looks like they are exploring options for him in F2 alongside his reserve driver duties.

"We've been fortunate to keep Colton at Andretti in the IndyCar team," said Towriss, speaking on the Off-Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast on nine-time IndyCar race winner Herta.

"Now, he's going to pursue his dream in Formula 1, and to do that, he's going to take a pretty big risk. He's leaving IndyCar.

"He's not going directly to Formula 1. There is a test and development driver role, and he's going to F2.

"He's going to learn tracks, he's going to learn tyres. Tyres are a big part of that. Very different from IndyCar, from that standpoint.

"So I couldn't be more proud of Colton, to be willing to take that risk, to pursue his dream."
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racingnews365.com

Cadillac confirm Colton Herta to race in F2 to pursue 'F1 dream'

Colton Herta was earlier confirmed as a test and development driver for Cadillac. Now it's been revealed he is to race in F2 next season.
racingnews365.com racingnews365.com
 
thestaggy said:
His seat at Andretti has been taken by Will Power, so it looks to be a full-time switch to F1.




EDIT: Looks like they are exploring options for him in F2 alongside his reserve driver duties.



racingnews365.com

Cadillac confirm Colton Herta to race in F2 to pursue 'F1 dream'

Colton Herta was earlier confirmed as a test and development driver for Cadillac. Now it's been revealed he is to race in F2 next season.
racingnews365.com racingnews365.com
Click to expand...

Ah right! Thanks for the update.
 
thestaggy said:
His seat at Andretti has been taken by Will Power, so it looks to be a full-time switch to F1.




EDIT: Looks like they are exploring options for him in F2 alongside his reserve driver duties.



racingnews365.com

Cadillac confirm Colton Herta to race in F2 to pursue 'F1 dream'

Colton Herta was earlier confirmed as a test and development driver for Cadillac. Now it's been revealed he is to race in F2 next season.
racingnews365.com racingnews365.com
Click to expand...

Herta and his team have probably made a huge mistake here. Walking away from IndyCar to race F2 seems crazy to me. If he wins in his season, it will be looked at as a seasoned professional beating children. If he doesn't win, he will probably be written off.

There are no guarantees that he'll do well, just look at Ritomo Miyata in F2.
 
cr@zydude said:
Herta and his team have probably made a huge mistake here. Walking away from IndyCar to race F2 seems crazy to me. If he wins in his season, it will be looked at as a seasoned professional beating children. If he doesn't win, he will probably be written off.

There are no guarantees that he'll do well, just look at Ritomo Miyata in F2.
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Unfortunately this is a consequence of the FIA effectively ''gatekeeping'' entry to FI through the Super License points systems. They have gone to great lengths to protect the F3->F2->F1 progress ladder. IndyCar drivers struggle to accumulate points and they can also lose them very quickly. To give you an idea; while an IndyCar and F2 champion earn the same Super License points, the drop off after that is significant as the 4th-placed driver in F2 will earn the same points as the runner-up in IndyCar.

Colton Herta is an excellent case study here. He has 9 IndyCar wins (all on road or street circuits) but he has been denied a Super License, yet there are drivers who achieved far less in F2 that have made it to F2, with some still on the grid (granted there are other factors here; sponsorship money and being a part of an academy).

There was a time when American open-wheel racing was a legitimate alternative route into F1. Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Montoya, Cristiano da Matta, Sebastien Bourdais and Michael Andretti all moved to F1 after racing in the top American open-wheel series (CART/Champcar back in the day). Montoya and Alex Zanardi both used CART to rejuvenate their careers after struggling in Europe. Montoya was a Formula 3000 champion, but couldn't make the jump to F1, so he crossed the Atlantic, won a CART title and the Indy 500 and was signed by Williams. Zanardi had a solid European career and indeed made it to F1 before struggling. He went over to CART and rebuilt his reputation, winning back-to-back CART titles and earning another crack at F1 with Williams (although it turned out to be disastrous).

So yeah, Colton has to gamble if he ever wants to have a chance at F1 because he has been denied a Super License for the past 3-years because of the way the system works.
 
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thestaggy said:
Unfortunately this is a consequence of the FIA effectively ''gatekeeping'' entry to FI through the Super License points systems. They have gone to great lengths to protect the F3->F2->F1 progress ladder. IndyCar drivers struggle to accumulate points and they can also lose them very quickly. To give you and idea; while an IndyCar and F2 champion earn the same Super License, the drop off after that is significant as the 4th-placed driver in F2 will earn the same points as the runner-up in IndyCar.

Colton Herta is an excellent case study here. He has 9 IndyCar wins (all on road or street circuits) but he has been denied a Super License, yet there are drivers who achieved far less in F2 that have made it to F2, with some still on the grid (granted there are other factors her; sponsorship money and being a part of an academy).

There was a time when American open-wheel racing was a legitimate alternative route into F1. Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Montoya, Cristiano da Matta, Sebastien Bourdais and Michael Andretti all moved to F1 after racing in the top American open-wheel series (CART/Champcar back in the day). Montoya and Alex Zanardi both used CART to rejuvenate their careers after struggling in Europe. Montoya was a Formula 3000 champion, but couldn't make the jump to F1, so he crossed the Atlantic, won a CART title and the Indy 500 and was signed by Williams. Zanardi had a solid European career and indeed made it to F1 before struggling. He went over to CART and rebuilt his reputation, winning back-to-back CART titles and earning another crack at F1 with Williams (although it turned out to be disastrous).

So yeah, Colton has to gamble if he ever wants to have a chance at F1 because he has been denied a Super License for the past 3-years because of the way the system works.
Click to expand...

You are right, but I would have probably looked for something like Aussie or Middle Eastern regional F3 for Herta. A series that has less media attention, enough points to get a licence if you win and can be finished before the F1 season starts. Also, if Herta is close enough on points, he can earn the last few through practice sessions.
 
If Indy drivers are so great and Herta is a top Indy driver, then F2 will be a breeze for him. We don't want to see another Sergeant.
OH and there is no need to win F2, most current F1 drivers did not win the F2 championship.
 
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