Tipped as a potential alternative for Cadillac’s Formula 1 team next season—should a race seat open up and Colton Herta fail to amass the necessary Super Licence points—Ugo Ugochukwu played down rumors of a sudden career jump. The 19-year-old emphasized that he remains focused on taking things step-by-step, with the Formula 3 crown as his primary objective.

The American driver was previously part of McLaren’s driver development program, but his first taste behind the wheel of a modern F1 car came courtesy of Alpine in June, when he completed a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) run driving the A524 at Monza. Cadillac’s reported interest was first disclosed by British outlet PlanetF1, who spoke with the young driver on Thursday (23) in Hungary.

With Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas leading their inaugural F1 campaign, Cadillac has made no secret of its desire to groom Herta for a future race seat. The former IndyCar star is currently competing in Formula 2, where he sits 16th in the standings while working to accumulate the 40 required Super Licence points (he currently holds 35). Having already taken part in FP1 at Catalunya, Herta was fielded again in Budapest—however, unless he secures at least a sixth-place finish in the F2 standings, even the 4 potential bonus points available via FP1 outings will fall short of granting him eligibility.

Ugochukwu, on the other hand, earned 18 points for his title in this year’s Formula Regional Oceania Championship, another 12 points for finishing third in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship, and 3 points for winning the 2024 Macau Grand Prix. Sitting on 33 accrued points, Campos Racing’s #2 driver needs only a seventh-place finish or higher in the final F3 standings to hit the 40-point threshold for Formula 1.

“There’s a lot of talk going around, but for me right now, that’s not something on my mind or something that needs discussing,” Ugo stated regarding a potential opening at Cadillac. “My primary focus remains on this F3 season and finishing the year on the highest possible note. After that comes F2, which is the logical next step on the ladder toward F1. That’s where my focus is locked in right now,” he added.

“I’m not looking that far ahead. Naturally, as an American, it’s really cool to see a US-based team on the F1 grid, but I leave those kinds of conversations to my management team. I’m just focused on my driving this season. This is the time of year when people start making decisions for the following season. On my side, nothing is confirmed or announced yet,” he concluded.

Formula 1 returns July 24–26 in Budapest, host of the Hungarian GP, Round 11 of the 2026 season.

Colton Herta sees his Cadillac F1 prospects threatened by F3 star (Photo: Cadillac)

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