Top IndyCar drivers now have an easier path to Formula One after the FIA increased the number of superlicence points awarded to competitors in the U.S.-based series.
The International Automobile Federation confirmed Wednesday that drivers finishing third through ninth in IndyCar will earn more points, a move aimed at better reflecting their performance.
To qualify for an F1 superlicence, drivers must accumulate 40 points over three years.
Previously, only the IndyCar champion met that threshold outright, while the runner-up received 30 points.
The FIA’s revised rules, set to take effect in 2026, will give additional points to drivers finishing between third and ninth “to reflect the growing significance of the category.”
Formula One currently has no U.S. drivers, although the sport’s profile is surging in the U.S.
Next season, the calendar will feature three races, and Cadillac will enter as the 11th American team on the grid.
Nine-time IndyCar race winner Colton Herta will compete in next year’s Formula Two championship while also serving as a test driver for Cadillac.
Herta has struggled to secure enough points for a superlicence based on his IndyCar results in recent seasons.
Many IndyCar fans have long argued that the FIA undervalues the series’ drivers compared with competitors in junior categories such as Formula Two. Under the new system, Herta and other top performers will be closer to meeting the F1 superlicence requirements.
“It’s good news for IndyCar and good for the drivers in the series if they do want to race in F1,” Arrow McLaren principal Tony Kanaan told Motorsport.com. “An IndyCar driver shouldn’t need to go to a feeder series to prove they’ve got what it takes to compete in any other series.”
