Colton Herta and Ugo Ugochukwu: Cadillac F1 has new American gem to consider
Has Ugo Ugochukwu joined Colton Herta as a Cadillac F1 contender?
Colton Herta knows he will be in the Cadillac F1 car for Hungary FP1, but is yet to formalise plans beyond as the latest F1 ‘silly season’ readies to spark into life.
Cadillac now has two driver options from its homeland to consider. Herta, of course, but Formula 3 Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu deserves to be mentioned in the Cadillac F1 2027 conversation, as Herta pushes to earn his FIA Super Licence.
Ugo Ugochukwu primed to join Colton Herta on Cadillac F1 radar
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Cadillac, understandably, went with experience for its first F1 driver line-up, uniting Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
The duo has ensured a stable start to F1 life for Cadillac, though Perez could become a player in the driver market, with interest further up the grid existing for his F1 2027 services.
While Cadillac is yet to score in F1 2026, Perez has generally impressed against teammate Valtteri Bottas in that intra-team battle. Perez is up 7-1 in the grand prix head-to-head.
If and when a vacancy emerges at Cadillac, the leading belief is that test driver Colton Herta is next in line. The multi-time IndyCar race winner is scheduled for four FP1 outings in 2026.
Herta also made the switch to Formula 2, looking to secure the necessary Super Licence points to step up to Formula 1.
By Herta’s own admission, his rookie F2 campaign has been “disappointing” to date. He would not “grade my season so far very highly at all.” He sits 17th in the championship. That would not yield Super Licence points.
Herta currently has 35, leaving him five short of the golden 40-point mark. Importantly, a driver can earn an extra point per appearance in an F1 practice session, as long as they complete at least 100 kilometres. A maximum of 10 points can be scored via this route.
Ahead of the Silverstone F2 round, PlanetF1.com asked Herta whether there has been any talks with Cadillac yet about next season, or extra FP1 outings for Super Licence points. He replied: “No, we haven’t talked about next year yet.
“My next FP1 will be in Budapest, so I can say that. But the two following, I think, are still being decided on, depending on multiple factors from the team.”
Herta made his FP1 debut in Barcelona, so his comments indicate four planned FP1 outings in 2026. Each team is required to field a rookie in at least four FP1s across a season.
It could leave Herta one point short of his Super Licence. Herta could have scored two had he gone the full F2 season without receiving a penalty point. That went up in smoke in Monaco, where Herta was given two penalty points for overtaking under Virtual Safety Car conditions.
The Herta and Cadillac F1 alliance is one which goes way back in its IndyCar roots. Rightly, this is a project which will continue to be worked at.
But, should Cadillac require a Plan B as Herta continues his Super Licence pursuit, one has emerged. Step forward, Ugo Ugochukwu.
A former McLaren junior, Ugochukwu, 19, from New York City, won the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy title, and is now thriving at the top of the F3 Championship.
With two race wins scored – including a record 17-second victory in the Silverstone sprint – Ugochukwu is on the rise. He leads the way by 18 points from highly-regarded Audi junior Freddie Slater.
On this trajectory, Ugochukwu would be eligible for an F1 2027 Super Licence.
Let’s do some quick maths. His Formula Regional Oceania title netted him 18 points. P3 in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship was worth 12. His 2024 Macau GP win was worth three.
So, that’s 33 points for Ugochukwu. 40 is the magic number for a Super Licence. Seventh in the F3 Championship would net him the final seven that he needs. He is well on his way to achieving that.
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It would not be unprecedented for a driver to jump from F3 level to F1. Albeit with a reserve driver season in between, Bottas did that when he won the 2011 GP3 title, and joined the F1 grid with Williams in 2013.
Granted, Bottas had a lot more F1 testing time than Ugochukwu does under his belt.
A certain Max Verstappen made the leap, also.
Ugochukwu recently got his first taste of F1 machinery as part of an Alpine private test at Monza.
Footage emerged on social media which showed Ugochukwu apparently spinning out through the Ascari chicane and finding the tyre barrier. Unfortunate, but again, it was his first time driving an F1 car.
Ugochukwu has earned the right to be considered as one of two American options, alongside Colton Herta, for Cadillac in the F1 2027 driver market.
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