Colton Herta to Replace Sergio Perez in Brazilian GP FP1

Cadillac has announced that Colton Herta will take the wheel for his sixth FP1 session at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix, stepping in for Sergio Perez. This session at Interlagos will be crucial for Herta's pursuit of the FIA Super Licence, which was previously thwarted by a points miscalculation in Mexico City. The mix-up arose from an error in the 2025 IndyCar standings, which wrongly placed Herta sixth instead of seventh, leaving him one point shy of the necessary 40 points.

Herta, who is seen as a potential contender for a seat in Cadillac's 2027 lineup, especially with Valtteri Bottas' future with the team uncertain, will aim to complete 100 kilometers of running to secure his licence. Previously, Herta replaced Bottas in Mexico City and will now take over Perez’s car for this FP1 session.

Perez, meanwhile, has secured his future with Cadillac by signing a new multi-year deal, ensuring his place in the team for at least the next three seasons.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Herta said, "I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the MAC-26 for another FP1 session. Interlagos is such an iconic, historic track, and driving an F1 car around there is going to be an awesome experience. My goal for Friday morning in Brazil is the same: execute the run plan cleanly, give Checo and the engineers the best possible setup data to start their weekend, and keep building on my progress in the car. I’m grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity."

Cadillac F1 team principal Marcin Budkowski also expressed confidence in Herta, noting, "His growth in the car across his sessions has been impressive, and his feedback remains invaluable to our 2027 development program."

Cadillac heads to Interlagos aiming to score their first point in Formula 1, with Bottas’ P13 in China still the team's best result to date.