An American driver may soon be back on the Formula One grid—and it could be with Cadillac, the second U.S.-based team in F1, set to make its debut in 2026.
F1 and FIA, the governing body of motorsports, approved General Motors and TWG Motorsports’ bid last week to make Cadillac the racing competition’s 11th team.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon told reporters Monday that his team is open to choosing an American driver for at least one of its two vacant positions, but he noted the selection would be based “on merit.”
IndyCar driver Colton Herta is the most prominent American driver linked to Cadillac. The 24-year-old competes for Andretti Global, which is owned by TWG Motorsports.
“He’s an incredibly talented driver. So, for sure, it’s not shocking news that we would be looking to consider Colton alongside a whole bunch of other drivers as well,” Lowdon said of Herta, who has yet to qualify for a super license that would allow him to compete in F1. “He won’t be the last driver where there’s some uncertainty due to super license points, but we just have to live with that.”
Lowdon made it clear the team will include drivers who have already competed in F1 in the past. These could be drivers who lost their grid spots after last season, such as Sergio Pérez, Zhou Guanyu, and Valtteri Bottas, who is currently the reserve driver for Mercedes.
“There are easily half a dozen, if not more, candidates out there who offer extremely good credentials to be in Formula One or to be in Formula One again,” Lowdon said.
Business Benefits
The timing of a new U.S. team and potential American driver is noteworthy, given the uncertainty of F1’s media-rights deal in the U.S.
Its current deal with ESPN ends this season, and there have been conflicting reports on whether ESPN is still in the running to keep the rights. Netflix, which helped F1 gain global popularity through the launch of docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive in 2019, is also reportedly in the running for the U.S. rights.
U.S. viewership has practically doubled since the release of the docuseries, though the numbers have stalled over the last three seasons.
An American driver on the track could also offer additional fanfare for races in the U.S. as drivers tend to be big draws in their “home races.” Such is the case for Max Verstappen in the Dutch Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton in the British Grand Prix. The U.S., which will host three races this season for the third year in a row, is currently the only country that hosts multiple races in a season.
It’s not uncommon for teams to choose drivers from the same region as their constructor, as this often has benefits for securing sponsors and advertisers as well. McLaren, last year’s constructors’ champion, is based in England and has countryman Lando Norris as its lead driver.
The last American driver on the grid was Logan Sargeant, who drove for Williams Racing from 2023 to –2024, but finished with just one career point.
