Colton Herta's super license math: why Mexico City practice could bring his 40th point
Cadillac says Herta has 39 of the 40 super license points he needs. A documented count gives 38. Here is how the numbers work and what he has to do on Friday.
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Colton Herta drives Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, October 30, the team confirms. For the American, the hour is about one number: 40, the super license points total a driver normally needs to race in Formula 1. Whether Friday gets him there depends on whose count you use.
Two counts, one point apart
A Cadillac spokesperson told RacingNews365 after the United States Grand Prix that Herta is on 39 points, one short. Grande Prêmio built its own count from his public results and reached 38. It reports that the spokesperson did not explain where the extra point comes from. Neither figure is a published FIA total, so treat both as estimates until the governing body rules.
How Grande Prêmio gets to 38
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| 2023 IndyCar, 10th | 1 |
| 2024 IndyCar, 2nd | 30 |
| 2025 IndyCar, 7th | 4 |
| Three qualifying practice outings | 3 |
| Monza practice, distance not reached | 0 |
| Total in Grande Prêmio's count | 38 |
| Total stated by Cadillac | 39 |
The IndyCar results carry most of the weight. Herta's runner up season in 2024 alone is worth 30 points under the allocation Grande Prêmio uses, which is why one strong season can put a driver close to the line.
The practice rule
A driver can earn one point for an official first practice session if he completes at least 100 kilometers, GPblog and RacingNews365 both explain. Herta earned that point in Barcelona, Hungary and Austin, RacingNews365 says. Monza did not count: Grande Prêmio reports a hydraulic failure limited him to five laps, about 25 kilometers.
The Mexico City lap is 4.304 kilometers, so Herta needs at least 24 laps on Friday, according to Grande Prêmio and RacingNews365. That is Grid and Pit arithmetic too: 24 laps comes to about 103 kilometers. A red flag, a technical problem or a long stop in the garage could cost him the point, which is exactly what happened at Monza.
What 40 would and would not mean
If Cadillac's count is right, a clean session takes Herta to 40. If Grande Prêmio's count is right, he would reach 39 and still need one more qualifying point. Formula 2 is not providing a shortcut. Marca México reports he is 19th in the standings with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds still to run, far from the top positions that carry points.
Reaching the threshold would make Herta eligible, not guarantee him a seat. Cadillac has not said it will replace Bottas or Sergio Pérez for 2027, Grande Prêmio notes, although RacingNews365 reports that team boss Marcin Budkowski did not rule out a lineup change when asked in Austin.
How to follow it
First practice starts at 2:30 PM Eastern, 1:30 PM Central, 12:30 PM Mountain and 11:30 AM Pacific, per our Mexico City race times guide. Watch his lap count as much as his times. Who else is in the cars on Friday is covered in our FP1 lineup story, and the wider picture is in 2027 seats still open and on our Cadillac hub.
Tags
Sources
- Cadillac confirms Herta for Mexico FP1 as dispute over F1 super licence points continues (external source)
- Colton Herta set to finally earn superlicence with latest Cadillac F1 outing (external source)
- Herta to drive in FP1 in Mexico to secure F1 super licence (external source)
- The Cadillac Formula 1 Team aim to reach new heights in Mexico City (external source)
- Cadillac saca la calculadora con Colton Herta en GP de México (external source)