Colton Herta is not the right driver to lead Cadillac’s charge in the American team’s debut F1 campaign, Gary Anderson questioning whether he has the “speed and the mental capacity” for Formula 1.

Instead, the former F1 designer believes Mario Andretti and team principal Graeme Lowdon should turn to Kevin Magnussen and a Formula 2 driver with two Americans contesting the feeder series this season.

Is Colton Herta the right man for Cadillac?

Cadillac will – “formality” only waiting according to F1 chief Stefano Domenicali – join the grid for the F1 2026 season, arriving as the sport undergoes its biggest overhaul ever with smaller, lighter, more agile cars powered by new engines.

Already, the General Motors-backed team has made key personnel signings, from bringing in former Marussia man Lowdown as team principal to recruiting Haas veteran Peter Crolla as team manager.

What they haven’t announced though, is who will be behind the wheel of the inaugural Cadillac F1 car.

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Cadillac board member Mario Andretti has made it clear he wants American IndyCar driver Colton Herta in the car but Cadillac F1 chief Dan Towriss says while he would like an American they must “do it the right way.

“I think it’s crucially important that that person is set up for success,” he continued to Sky News. “It won’t be a process of just grabbing an American and sticking him behind the wheel. We want to do it proper, and so more to come on that.”

Anderson has urged Cadillac to stick to that approach as he does not believe Herta is the right man for the job.

“I think coming in as an American team, they will want an American driver. Who that is, I don’t know,” he told the Formula for Success podcast.

“But a lot talk about Colton Herta.

“Without doubt an IndyCar driver who is quick, but I reserve judgment. To me, he makes too many mistakes. He’s definitely got speed in IndyCar, I don’t know that he’s got speed and the mental capacity to pick up Formula One. Formula One is a very complicated formula.

“You know, IndyCars are a bit like F2 as such. They’re a racing car with a steering wheel and you get on with it, whereas Formula One cars aren’t about that. There’s so much more going on.

“So I’m not sure I see the American driver at the moment that’s got the potential to get to F1 and be competitive. And that’s the most important thing, the need to be competitive.

“But as I say, they’ve got a year to sort of evaluate that.”

Instead, Anderson has urged Formula 1’s 11th team to sign former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen as the experienced head and then look to this year’s crop of Formula 2 drivers for his team-mate.

“You’ve got to take competitive people that have got experience,” he said. “And one for me, Kevin Magnussen, he’s a solid guy. He drives well when he’s got the car to do the job. He’s been around a long time.

“We’re still two years away from them needing a driver, or a year and a bit away from them, needing a driver to go racing in 2026 so there’s still time to see what unfolds with quite a few of these other drivers.

“There’s a lot of good guys in Formula Two coming up through there. So, you know, there is an opportunity for a young up-and-coming F2 driver.

“We’re going to see lots of new drivers next year [F1 2025], it’s going to be interesting to see who stands out from those guys all F1 rookies as such. Depending upon how they do, I think that will sway GM’s decision as far as the drivers are concerned.”

This season two Americans are competing in Formula 2 in Jak Crawford and Max Esterson.

Crawford, who is also an Aston Martin reserve driver, told PlanetF1.com’s Jamie Woodhouse that he’s hoping a good season with DAMS will put him on the Formula 1 radar.

“At the moment, it’s still very early in the season, I still haven’t even turned a lap of F2 yet, so we don’t know,” he said.

“And of course I have my commitments with Aston this year, so look, that’s my focus.

“And of course, I’ve said before that I would love to race in F1, and F1 is my dream and my goal. So, hopefully in the future, I hope that comes about.”

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