Sergio Perez to miss Brazilian GP FP1 as Colton Herta steps in

Cadillac has confirmed that Colton Herta will return to the cockpit for a sixth FP1 session at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The American will replace Sergio Perez for the opening hour of practice as he makes a fresh bid to obtain his FIA Super Licence, following the confusion in Mexico City.

Colton Herta to make latest Cadillac FP1 appearance in Sao Paulo

Herta was left as confused as everyone when his Mexico City FP1 failed to reach him 40 Super Licence points, the threshold required to race in Formula 1.

The FIA would confirm that he was one point short, this traced back to an error in the publication of IndyCar’s 2025 Drivers’ standings, which placed Herta sixth on the list. He was actually seventh.

At a time where Herta has emerged as a Cadillac F1 2027 contender, with Valtteri Bottas’ status not yet clear, the 26-year-old will return to action for the team in Brazilian GP FP1.

Complete 100 kilometres of running, and this time, Herta should have his Super Licence.

Having replaced Bottas in Mexico City, Herta will take over Perez’s car for his sixth FP1.

Perez put pen to paper on a new multi-year Cadillac deal ahead of his home race, keeping him with the team for at least the next three seasons.

Reacting to the news, 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.

“Every time I’ve stepped into the car this year, from Barcelona to Budapest, COTA and Mexico City, I’ve felt more comfortable and better integrated with the engineering team.

“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 added: “I’m also pleased to see Colton return to the MAC-26 for another FP1 outing, stepping in for Checo.

“His growth in the car across his sessions has been impressive, and his feedback remains invaluable to our 2027 development program.”

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