Have Colton Herta and Lando Norris ever raced against each other? All about the history of the McLaren driver and Cadillac reserve driver

Lando Norris and Colton Herta would be spotted on the same grid as the latter is prepared to join Cadillac as their reserve driver in the 2026 season. Although Herta has spent most time racing in the IndyCar Series, both drivers have previously shared the track, competing in the same championship during their junior years.

Herta joined Norris in the MSA Formula Championship back in 2015. This was a Formula 4 championship, where both drivers raced with Carlin. They remained competitive throughout the year, with Norris winning eight races, which was enough for him to clinch the championship. Meanwhile, Herta, as his teammate, won four races, finishing the championship in third place. Both drivers showcased strong pace and were strong contenders for the championship.

After 2015, however, their careers split apart. Colton Herta began focusing more on American motorsports, later racing in Indy Lights in 2017. However, he also clocked in for Lando Norris in the BRDC Formula 3 championship. The Briton was on a part-time schedule, and Herta would alternate the seats with him.

Their paths are set to cross once again, as Herta is prepared to race in the Formula 2 World Championship next season, while fulfilling his duties as a reserve driver for Cadillac, which will join the grid next year as the 11th team. They announced Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as their driver lineup earlier.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris is competing for the F1 World Championship this season. McLaren has dominated the grid so far, with Oscar Piastri taking the clear lead. Norris follows him up in second place.

---

Lando Norris expecting to increase gap to competitors in Monza

Heading for the Italian GP next, Lando Norris found himself too close to his rivals at the end of the second free practice session. Although he topped the leaderboard, the top six were separated by only 0.2 seconds, which also included his title rival, Oscar Piastri.

Norris mentioned that the gap was too close for his liking, and that he is looking forward to expanding it before the qualifying session, hoping to get him closer to his rival in the championship.

"Normally by thispoint we have like a one-second gap on everyone! But at the moment it looks just a bit close for my liking at the minute," he said (via F1). "Not bad, I feel like there’s some small things to improve for us to still be P1. I thought it was good that we improved some stuff from FP1 to FP2. It’s just a bit close, so I just need to try and make the gap a bit bigger so a little bit more comfortable."

There is currently a 34-point gap between Lando Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri in the world championship. Although Norris has been performing rather consistently, there have been a few incidents which kept him away from leading the title race this season.