Cadillac has confirmed that Colton Herta will drive Valtteri Bottas’s car in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, his fifth first-practice run for the team, as he chases the 40 super licence points he needs. Mercedes and Alpine are also fielding reserves.
Mexico City, Mexico: Colton Herta will get another chance to collect the final point or two he needs for a Formula 1 super licence. Cadillac confirmed on Tuesday that he will replace Valtteri Bottas in Friday’s opening practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with Bottas returning for second practice.
The points question
Herta needs 40 super licence points to race in F1. The count is disputed. RacingNews365 puts him on 38: one point for tenth in the 2023 IndyCar standings, 30 for second in 2024, four for seventh in 2025, and three from first practice sessions in Barcelona, Austria and the United States. A Cadillac spokesman has said he has 39 but has not explained where the extra point comes from.
Either way, Mexico matters. A first-practice appearance only earns a point if the driver completes at least 100km, which at 4.304km a lap means 24 laps; 23 laps would come up just short. Herta’s outing at Monza earned nothing because a hydraulic failure ended it after five laps, around 25km.
Reserves out in force
Herta is not the only newcomer on Friday. Formula 1 expects teams to give eligible inexperienced drivers practice time, and several teams have used Mexico to do it. Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti will take George Russell’s car, with Russell expected back for second practice. Alpine’s Gabriele Minì, an F2 driver, will make his F1 practice debut in place of Franco Colapinto.
The regular drivers are expected to return for the afternoon session. Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, can clinch the world title in Mexico with a top-nine finish on Sunday.
What it means for 2027
Earning 40 points would make Herta eligible, but it would not by itself decide a race seat. Cadillac has not announced its 2027 line-up or said whether Bottas or Sergio Pérez would make way.
