Andretti reveals official Cadillac F1 driver signing announcement TIMELINE

Mario Andretti has named the driver who is the favourite to secure a Cadillac Formula 1 seat, alongside a timeline for when they plan to sign the racer.

The American team will join F1 in 2026 where they will feature as the 11th team on the grid, with power units supplied by Ferrari until General Motors establishes its own engine programme.

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Cadillac’s F1 arrival also means that two extra seats will materialise on the grid, with axed drivers, including Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez, linked to the seat.

Former F1 champion and Cadillac advisor Mario Andretti previously revealed that the team plan to field an F1 veteran and a young American driver, with IndyCar star Colton Herta a favourite for the seat.

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Speaking to Motorsport.com, Andretti has backed Herta for the seat and even offered a potential timeline for the announcement if they do decide to sign the Andretti Global star.

"Looking back at the way Colton has trained from the very beginning of his young career - as you know, he started in Formula 3 and so on with the likes of Lando Norris, and he’s done some F1 testing," Andretti said.

"Zak Brown gave him a good test at Portimao in Portugal. You should see the report that we got from Andrea Stella. Andrea is an individual that says it like it is - so again, a great candidate. All of this has to be proven, of course, but going in, he’s a good bet, in my opinion.

"Everything is ongoing right now. You think about those things every day, and that's going to become official probably mid-year."

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Despite this certainty, Herta is yet to acquire a Super License, but will be hoping to earn the 40 points needed to qualify with the FIA for F1.

"Some mistakes were made last year that cost him a championship, and unfortunately that happens," Andretti added.

"Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself and then you make that mistake. When you look at the ingredients that were there, you had the ingredients of a champion. But for just one of those instances, he could have been champion. So, when you look back and assess all those things, you’ve got to feel pretty good."

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