Colton Herta’s Andretti IndyCar salary says Cadillac have “already offered” him a Formula 1 contract for F1 2026 but the big question is who will be the American’s team-mate?

George Russell, of course, insist Ziggo Sport pundits Renger van der Zande and Jack Plooij.s

George Russell and Colton Herta at Cadillac?

Officially rubber stamped as Formula 1’s 11th team, arriving on the grid next seaon, Cadillac have already made several key signings.

From Graeme Lowdon to Mario Andretti to Peter Crolla, big-name signings are filling the key roles within the American team.

But still the question remains, who will be driving the cars?

Understanding Cadillac F1:

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Colton Herta has been a frontrunner almost since Andretti Global initially applied to be the 11th team.

But while Andretti is no longer the name on the entry form, that transferred to Cadillac backed by General Motors, it’s still the driving force or at least the stepping stone.

Herta, who races for Andretti Global in IndyCar, looks to be a shoe-in with Andretti, a non-executive director, and CEO Dan Towriss talking up the American driver.

Dutch racing driver and pundit Van der Zande believes that’s as good as done.

“One of the signs that it will be Herta is that he is the highest-paid IndyCar driver with seven million dollars a year. The rest is around three to four million. That’s because they have actually already offered him a contract in Formula 1,” he told Ziggo Sport.

Moving onto Herta’s team-mate, his fellow pundit Jack Plooij reckons Cadillac, who have been linked to Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen, should make a play for Mercedes lead driver Russell.

“Who do you put next to it?” questions Plooij. “George Russell in 2026? He has to get out, because Max has to get in.

“I’ll throw everything at Russell.”

Plooij’s comment is based on his belief that Max Verstappen “will” leave Red Bull for Mercedes at the end of this season, a claim that Verstappen’s father Jos has scoffed at.

“Jack Jack Jack. What nonsense you talk,” he wrote on X.

But he’s not the only one who thinks it is a distinct possibility.

Van der Zande shares revealed: “I saw past that Max had landed at Eindhoven Airport on Thursday. Then Toto Wolff’s plane also happened to land there half an hour later. They also left again with half an hour difference.

He does not believe it was a coincidence.

“Those conversations are obviously just there. I don’t know if Max is having those talks himself, maybe it has been around for a long time,” he added.

Despite the constant rumours, that now also include Aston Martin, Verstappen has made it clear that as long as he is happy at Red Bull, he will stay at Red Bull. And winning makes Max Verstappen happy.

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