Colton Herta gets another chance to clear the FIA super licence barrier at Interlagos. He needs 100 kilometres in Cadillac’s first-practice car to claim the point that would take his tally to 40. That milestone would secure FIA eligibility, but it would not secure a Formula 1 race seat.
Herta arrives in Brazil with 39 super licence points after a Mexico City calculation error. The next step is clear: complete the required distance, then keep his F1 driver pathway alive. The FIA’s super licence rules set the threshold for his bid.
Herta’s Interlagos Super Licence Test
At Interlagos, Herta will replace Sergio Perez in Cadillac’s first-practice car. His target is 100 kilometres, equal to 24 laps. That distance would take his FIA super licence tally from 39 to 40. The final licence point depends on a clean session under the FIA points rules.
The Brazilian session marks Herta’s second attempt to reach the required total. He has taken part in five FP1 sessions this season. A hydraulic fault at Monza cut his run to five laps. That missed mileage proved costly, as a full distance there would have put him on course to reach 40 in Mexico.
Why Herta Still Has 39 Points
Cadillac expected Herta to reach the threshold at the Mexico City Grand Prix. A website error listed him sixth in the 2025 IndyCar standings, ahead of Felix Rosenqvist. A standings data error changed the points calculation, since Herta finished seventh. The corrected result gave him four 2025 points, not six.
His total combines one point from 2023, 30 from 2024, and four from 2025. Four more came from his FP1 appearances. The corrected points total therefore stands at 39, one short of the FIA requirement. The wider debate over American F1 drivers makes his bid especially notable.
F1 Eligibility Does Not Secure a Cadillac Seat
Reaching 40 points would remove a regulatory barrier to a full-time Formula 1 drive. It would not decide Cadillac’s 2027 lineup. Herta is pursuing a race seat after a challenging Formula 2 campaign. A clear regulatory route would still leave the team to judge his readiness.
Sergio Perez has a Cadillac deal through the end of 2029. Valtteri Bottas is the seat under threat if the team promotes Herta. His IndyCar record with Andretti Global forms part of his motorsport profile. No automatic race seat follows from FIA eligibility, so Interlagos can clear one hurdle without settling his F1 future.
