Graeme Lowdon rejects reputation fears as Colton Herta takes Cadillac F1 test seat

Cadillac Formula 1 team principal Graeme Lowdon has thrown his support behind the team's test driver, Colton Herta.

The 25-year-old American driver is making the move from a full-time seat in the IndyCar Series to the test driver role, as well as a contract in Formula 2, although the latter is yet to be officially confirmed.

While some have raised eyebrows over Herta's decision, Lowdon claimed it shows confidence in his own ability and speed to make the change.

Over an eight-year career in IndyCar, the California-born driver has accumulated nine wins, 19 podium finishes and 16 pole positions, with his last race win being the 2024 Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.

"The first thing I'd say about Colton is I really like the guy," Lowdon explained to F1.com. "I've got to know him quite a bit over the last couple of years. I love his approach – he's a proper racer.

"Some people would say that going from a race-winning position in one championship and then into a test role, people talk about reputation or whatever. What I love is when you have a driver who is confident in his ability and speed to make that change.

"It's exactly what we want to see. You don't want to see people who shy away from a challenge or anything else. It is the pure essence of racing. He is American, but we've always said everyone in our programme is chosen on merit. If they happen to be American because we're an American team, it's a plus point.

Colton Herta, Andretti Global

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

"It's great for the fans and we're seeing that already, the positive reaction to that announcement was huge. He's bringing an established fan base to the sport as well.

"It's a really good move for him, in my view, and for the team, and we'll dovetail that with racing as well in F2 so he'll still be keeping himself sharp from that perspective. We're looking at a few different options for him for 2026 and Formula 2 is obviously one of them. There's a lot of plus points in doing that."

Cadillac is set to join the F1 grid in 2026 as the 11th team.