Colton Herta has hit a roadblock in his pursuit of a Formula 1 race seat after the FIA confirmed he currently holds 39 superlicence points, falling just short of the mandatory 40-point threshold due to a bizarre data mix-up. The American was widely expected to secure the required points during Friday's opening practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but an administrative error regarding his 2025 IndyCar championship position has thrown his plans into temporary disarray.
The root of the issue lies in how Herta was classified in the 2025 IndyCar standings, where the series' official website mistakenly listed him in sixth place rather than seventh. Herta actually finished level on points with Felix Rosenqvist, who rightfully claimed sixth in the final standings by virtue of recording more second-place finishes over the course of the season, a minute difference that translates to a loss of two superlicence points.
The Cadillac outfit had based its internal assessments on the erroneous classification, with reports indicating that their calculations had even been cross-checked with the FIA as early as July. Although the discrepancy on the IndyCar website has since been rectified, it leaves Herta requiring one additional point before he can officially be cleared to race in the premier motorsport category.
Herta's current points tally now consists of a single point for finishing 10th in IndyCar back in 2023, 30 points for his runner-up campaign behind Alex Palou in 2024, and four points for his seventh-place result last year. A further four points have been safely secured through FP1 practice appearances for Cadillac across Spain, Austria, the United States, and Mexico City this season.
Under the FIA's strict licensing framework, a driver can earn a single point toward their superlicence by completing at least 100 kilometers during an official F1 practice outing without incurring any penalty points. Having completed 30 laps in Mexico City, Herta comfortably exceeded the distance requirement, yet the classification error means he remains one step away from the finish line.
Despite the setback, the hurdle is unlikely to derail his long-term prospects as Cadillac still holds upcoming opportunities to deploy him in FP1 sessions during the Sao Paulo and Las Vegas Grands Prix. One final clean practice run meeting the strict mileage criteria will ultimately deliver the missing point required to finalize his paperwork.
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