Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Colton Herta will drive Cadillac’s MAC-26 in Free Practice 1 at Barcelona, giving the 26-year-old American his first official track outing for the team in Cadillac’s first mandatory rookie session of the 2025 season.
Cadillac said Herta will take over Sergio Perez’s car for Friday practice as part of its development program. Formula 1 teams must now run rookies four times across the season, and Barcelona will be Cadillac’s first use of that requirement.
The appearance lands against the backdrop of recent speculation over Cadillac’s driver lineup. Reports after the Canadian Grand Prix claimed Herta could replace Valtteri Bottas this season because of dissatisfaction with the Finn’s performances compared with Perez, but those suggestions were rejected by team management, and Bottas has also said he is not going anywhere for now.
That leaves Barcelona as what Cadillac says it is: a rookie test and another step in Herta’s longer-term preparation. Herta moved from IndyCar to Formula 2 this year as he works toward a future Formula 1 debut with the American team. Racing for Hitech, he is 13th in the F2 standings and has qualified as high as seventh so far this season.
Herta said in an official team statement that he has prepared with simulator work in Charlotte and recent trackside time with the team at Silverstone and at races. “The aim is to have a clean session and help the team gather the data it needs, as well as getting used to the F1 car,” he said. “It’s going to be a busy weekend as I’m competing in F2 at the same time, but pressure is a privilege so I’m looking forward to it.”
Cadillac arrives in Spain encouraged by its Monaco performance, which it described as its strongest result so far in its debut season. Perez crossed the line 10th before a penalty denied the team what would have been its first championship point.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon said that Monaco reinforced the direction of travel for a team still building its base. “With the solid foundation we continue to build, I am sure we will keep this upward trajectory.”
For Cadillac, that gives Herta’s first official session extra weight. It is a required rookie run, but it also becomes part of the team’s wider effort to build momentum while keeping its current race lineup intact.