Daniel Ricciardo has definitively ruled out joining the Cadillac F1 project, with the Australian also appearing to want to end his F1 career.
Asked about the interest that Mario Andretti and the future American team would have shown him, the 35-year-old driver declared that he had “finished with F1”.
When asked to confirm by saying “No Cadillac then?” he immediately replied: “No, no, I’m done” while making a very clear hand gesture and displaying his characteristic smile.
It is therefore a very clear response from Ricciardo, who was not, however, the figurehead desired by Andretti. The latter seems to be betting on Colton Herta (photo below).
A good choice according to the 2009 world champion, Jenson Button. Button, who teamed up with the Californian at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January, has backed Herta for an F1 debut.
“He is extremely fast. He is doing everything he can to get to F1.”
“In IndyCar, he's extremely fast. He was my teammate when we raced at Daytona earlier this year. He just goes into a race and he knows how to be in the game.”
“He will be fast in F1 from the start. There is obviously a lot of learning, very different from IndyCar. He has the mindset.”
Herta had his best season in IndyCar to date in 2024, finishing second in the drivers' standings. This brought him within a whisker of obtaining the FIA Super License points needed to be eligible for a drive in F1.
This already hampered Herta when AlphaTauri failed to secure special dispensation from the FIA to sign him for the 2023 season. As it stands, Herta has 39 points for its Super License, one less than the 40 needed. To date, his F1 mileage has been limited to private testing with McLaren.
Button, however, spoke of the need for a competitive driver and team in the United States to take interest in F1 to the next level.
“The sport has seen massive growth in the United States and it's great. We're at the point where we need a competitive American driver and a competitive American manufacturer.”
“This is huge for the sport. Getting interest from GM and Cadillac will attract more eyes, prospects, interest and sponsors in the future. The current teams will take a small short-term hit than they did before. “They won't like it, but in the long run it's great for the sport.”
“F1 has grown so much in the USA. It will stabilize there and this is the next step to give it a little boost.”
