Lando Norris reveals what he really thinks about Colton Herta’s driving ability

Lando Norris has backed his former junior team-mate, Colton Herta, to be “easily capable” of driving in Formula 1 in future, after his move to Cadillac.

Herta was confirmed as the new Formula 1 team’s test driver for next season, with the American racer due to take part in Formula 2 in 2026 to gain experience and look to secure the FIA Super Licence points he needs to potentially drive in Formula 1.

Lando Norris: Colton Herta ‘easily capable’ of making it to Formula 1

Norris and Herta raced together in the junior categories when Herta competed in Europe for Formula 4, with the Briton having revealed in 2022 that he nicknamed the now-former IndyCar driver ‘Hooligan Herta’ because of his approach to high-speed corners at that time.

Herta, 25, ultimately went on a different path through motorsport as he took up a seat in Indy Lights, before a promotion to IndyCar, where he won nine races and finished runner-up in the standings in 2024.

Now signed by Cadillac as test driver, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez combining to form the team’s first race line-up, team CEO Dan Towriss confirmed Herta would be on his way to Formula 2, not just to learn some of the tracks used in Formula 1, but to give him crucial experience of how Pirelli tyres work.

As he chases his dream of a Formula 1 seat in the future, Norris believes his former team-mate can be someone to step up.

When asked how difficult it will be for Herta to make a move after going through a different motorsport ladder in America, Norris told PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher and others: “I mean, it’s tricky. How difficult is it? It’ll probably not [be] difficult for him, because he’s good at jumping in all different types of cars, and that’s something he’s done his whole life.

“He’s an extremely talented driver, and [someone] I enjoyed a lot growing up with in 2015. I think he’s skilled enough to jump in anything and be quick, but being one of the best in Formula 1 is what’s difficult, and if that’s still his goal, if his goal is still to not just come in as a test driver, but in the next few years to become a Formula 1 driver and a race driver then, of course, it gets tricky.

Looking at the F1 driver market for 2026 and beyond

👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Which drivers are already confirmed for 2026?

👉 F1 2027 driver line-up: Which drivers are already contracted for the 2027 season?

“But, he’s easily capable of potentially being in Formula 1 and those kind of things, and I look forward to hopefully seeing him here.”

While Herta has been regularly linked with a move to a Formula 1 seat in recent years, the main crux of him not being able to race in the series is his lack of FIA Super Licence points.

While the required 40 points is handed to the winner of the IndyCar Series, Herta’s rolling total falls in the 30s, leaving him with points to gain to be eligible for Formula 1.

As the most prominent FIA-sanctioned feeder series, 40 points are handed to each of the top three drivers in Formula 2, before the scale slides down more gradually than in IndyCar, meaning Herta will have a greater chance of securing the points he needs in F2.

Norris, meanwhile, thinks Herta is already able to show what he can do behind the wheel in Formula 1, especially given how difficult IndyCar machinery is to drive, having experienced it himself.

“I think he’s probably easily capable of driving a Formula 1 car and driving it at an incredibly high level,” Norris added.

“He’s probably better than most other drivers that are in the ranks and coming up in F3 and F2 itself. If I was the boss, I think there’s still a certain allowance of, you know, you have to qualify in some way. I don’t think you can just be an ‘Old Billy’ and just give them to whoever you want but IndyCar, I think, is one of the toughest series in the world.

“I think it’s an incredibly tough car to drive, and I’ve driven it myself, but you can tell all those things, the level of all these drivers is incredibly high.

“So, I don’t know how many [FIA Super Licence] points they get in IndyCar, but I would put it above the level of Formula 2, in a way.”

Read next: V8 F1 engines off the table as decisive call made ahead of power unit meeting