Colton Herta Still One Point Short of F1 Superlicence After Cadillac Mix-Up

Colton Herta remains one point short of the 40 required for an FIA superlicence after a clerical error left Cadillac believing he could close it out at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The American ran 30 laps in FP1 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — comfortably past the 24 needed to bank a point for rookie free practice running — but the FIA has confirmed he stays on 39.

Why it matters:

Herta's route into F1 depends on a licence he has still not secured, and the mix-up shows how narrow the margins are. The 26-year-old is widely linked to the second Cadillac seat alongside Sergio Perez for 2027, and without 40 points that move simply cannot happen.

The details:

• The error traced back to the IndyCar website, which incorrectly listed Herta as sixth in the 2024 standings rather than seventh — a two-point swing in superlicence terms.
• His actual tally reads one point in 2023, 30 for finishing second in the 2024 IndyCar championship, and four from last season.
• Four further points have come from FP1 outings with Cadillac in 2026, at Barcelona, Austria, the United States and now Mexico.
• Cadillac had insisted to RacingNews365 last week that Herta was on 39 and a single point away heading into the weekend.

What's next:

Herta has several chances to close the gap, with São Paulo and Las Vegas still to come before the calendar turns to Qatar and Abu Dhabi or Imola. Getting the licence is only half the battle, though — his Formula 2 form has been underwhelming, and a 2027 seat will require more than a corrected spreadsheet.