- Ralf Schumacher told Sky Germany that Colton Herta has no place in Formula 1, per Motorsport.com.
- Herta earned the last superlicence point he needed in Friday practice at Interlagos, a week after a points mix-up in Mexico.
- Cadillac has yet to confirm its 2027 line-up, and an FIA safety net keeps Herta’s licence route open for three years.
Herta Reaches 40 Points as a Former F1 Driver Dismisses His Chances
Asked whether Colton Herta could be a candidate for the second Cadillac seat alongside Sergio Perez, former Formula 1 driver and Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher replied: “Only if Easter and Christmas fall on the same day. Seriously, it’s pointless. He’s just burning fuel, to borrow a phrase from Franz Tost. I don’t even know what the point of it is. You might as well put someone else in the car, give some young drivers a chance.”
The remark was published on November 7, a day after Herta’s Friday at Interlagos. The Cadillac test driver replaced Perez in first practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix, completed 24 laps and collected the final point he needed for an F1 superlicence. Schumacher’s answer arrived as that milestone was still fresh, and it turned a paperwork success into a debate about whether the American belongs on the grid at all.
The Point That Took Two Attempts
Cadillac believed the job was done a week earlier. After Herta’s first practice appearance in Mexico, the team thought he had reached the 40 superlicence points a driver needs when applying for the first time. The FIA counted 39.
The gap came from the 2025 IndyCar season. Herta finished that year level on points with Felix Rosenqvist, and online results list him seventh, a placing worth four superlicence points. When the FIA looked at the matter in July, it had him sixth, worth six, which would have put his total at 41 and matched the belief in the paddock after Mexico. Further investigation ended that. The FIA confirmed that Herta was classified seventh, which left him at 39: 35 points from IndyCar, one from 2023, 30 from his runner-up season in 2024 and the rest from 2025, plus four from Friday practice sessions in F1.
The FIA’s International Sporting Code sets out the requirement: “The driver must have accumulated at least 40 points. The FIA will consider the number of points accumulated in either (i) the three-calendar year period immediately preceding the year of the date of the application, or (ii) the two-calendar year period immediately preceding the year of the date of the application in addition to points accumulated in the calendar year of the application, whichever is higher”.
One more practice outing would settle it, and Cadillac sent him straight back into the car in Brazil. This time he needed 100 kilometers and no penalty points on his licence, and either condition could have gone wrong. An early red flag threatened to shorten the running, and it caused a brief scare when Herta went past the pit entry after the session had been stopped. No action followed. The red light panels came on too late for him to react and get into the pit lane. Cadillac’s Marc Hynes said that evening that the team wanted to be absolutely clear whether the 100 kilometer limit counts total mileage or only mileage from timed laps, and that Herta would be safe on either reading. The FIA is understood to be satisfied with his work, so the point is earned and his eligibility will be confirmed in due course.
Herta ran a full programme. Lock-ups hampered his early laps on hard tyres before he switched to softs, and his best lap came out 0.904 seconds slower than Valtteri Bottas and 0.275 seconds slower than the target Cadillac had set him. He was scheduled to speak to the media at the end of the day but withdrew, and Cadillac said he felt unwell.
A Hard Year in Formula 2
Herta went to Formula 2 to prove he deserved an F1 seat and to collect superlicence points. He sits 19th in the championship with 26 points and has not won a race or stood on a podium. Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel admits Herta has struggled more than expected. His superlicence came by another route: his IndyCar points, earned in a career with nine race wins and a runner-up finish in the 2024 championship, together with his Cadillac practice sessions.
Hynes, who spoke while Herta stayed away from the media, sees the F2 season as part of a steep climb. “It was a huge step to come to Europe chasing the F1 dream, and I hugely admire that,” Cadillac’s Marc Hynes said.
“F2 is difficult. You’ve got the guys that have come through in the same peer set from karting, they know all the tracks – you get very little mileage in F2 practice, they know the tyre very well, and the driving style is baked in. So to come into that is tough.”
Hynes then pointed to the progress in the F1 car. “FP1 is a good opportunity to get some mileage, and he’s got better every time. The nerves aren’t there that you have for the first one, and he’s really looking assured out there now.”
That is the view from inside the team. The view from Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher is far less kind. It also lands as Herta’s hopes of a Formula 1 seat were already under scrutiny.
What Schumacher Wants Instead
Schumacher aimed most of his criticism at the F2 campaign. “He was really that bad in Formula 2. As far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t earned it at all. I think it’s great that they’re trying to promote American drivers. But it has to make sense, and he has no place in Formula 1.”
He would rather see young drivers given the chance. His example was McLaren junior Leonardo Fornaroli, who has won championships in both Formula 2 and Formula 3, and whom Schumacher described as “an incredibly strong driver”. Beyond that name, Schumacher said finding the right partner for Perez would be “very, very difficult”.
Herta is not the only name in the conversation. George Russell has put Mercedes talent Frederik Vesti forward as a candidate, and the pool of drivers with a case for the second Cadillac seat remains open. Schumacher’s pick of Fornaroli adds one more name to it and sets the F2 champion’s record against Herta’s 19th place in the same series.
What the Licence Is Worth
The licence carries value whether or not Herta races in 2027. A superlicence is valid for one year, which suggested that 2027 might be Herta’s only chance. The 30 points from his 2024 IndyCar season might expire after that year. The FIA’s answer was more favorable. Article 13.1.5 b of the International Sporting Code reads: “The driver must also satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
“b) Have been granted a Super Licence (excluding Free Practice Only Super Licence) and, prior to application, have previously completed at least 100 km during a free practice session of an FIA Formula One World Championship competition, in any of the previous 3 years.”
In practice, once a driver has held a superlicence and it lapses after a year, he becomes a previous licence holder. He can apply again without meeting the 40 point requirement, provided he has completed 100 kilometers in an F1 practice session within the previous three years. That gives Cadillac a three year window to give Herta an F1 opportunity if it wants to. His 30 IndyCar points will expire in the future, but one practice session could win the licence back. Cadillac has already said it intends to give him more Friday outings.
The seat question itself is open. Perez extended his Cadillac contract in October through at least 2029, so one 2027 seat is settled. Whether Bottas stays is unclear. In Austin, team principal Marcin Budkowski was asked whether both drivers had contracts beyond the current season. He avoided the question and said the FIA press conference was not the place to discuss it. Bottas has said he is not yet concerned about losing his seat. Formally, Cadillac still has to confirm its line-up, and that decision belongs to the team, not to a pundit.
Herta arrives at that decision with nine IndyCar wins and a runner-up finish on one side, and a 19th place in Formula 2 on the other. The licence gives Cadillac time without giving it an answer. Hynes sees a driver who came to Europe chasing the F1 dream and looks more assured with each Friday. Schumacher sees fuel being burned. Cadillac will have to decide which of them is closer to the truth.
