Colton Herta rejects Cadillac’s top 10 F2 target: ‘I want to win’

Colton Herta has been tasked by Cadillac with a top 10 finish in the 2026 Formula 2 Championship. Herta’s mindset is one of “if the goal isn’t to win, I don’t see why you would do it.” 

Having gone all in to realise his Formula 1 dream, Herta wants poles and wins in F2, with time to tell how feasible such an achievement truly is.

Colton Herta responds to Cadillac F2 top 10 target

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Herta, nine times an IndyCar race winner, has changed course in his career. He has signed up as a Cadillac F1 test driver, and Hitech Formula 2 driver for 2026.

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss wants a top 10 finish in the F2 standings from Herta, who was asked for his response to that target.

Is he confident that he can rise to the challenge, or is he expecting more.

“Everything that I hop into, I want to be competitive, and I want to be strong,” Herta told PlanetF1.com and others.

“If the goal isn’t to win, then I don’t really see why you would do it. That’s my mindset.

“Either how unrealistic it is or how realistic it is, I don’t know. I guess time will have to tell.

“I think if you go into the mindset of, ‘Well, let’s try to work off and start inside the top 15, and then move forward from there,’ I just don’t think it’s the right approach.

“So for me, I want to be as quick as possible. I want to lead sessions, I want to win pole, I want to win races. But, I guess time will tell how difficult that is.”

Herta made the top 10 on day one of Barcelona testing. He improved one spot to P9 on day two, and was up to fourth by the end of the test.

Herta’s IndyCar and IMSA experience makes him a standout among a young F2 grid. Yet, he played down its value.

“I don’t think it’s as much of an advantage as people might think,” Herta cautioned.

“At this stage in your career, whether you’re 18 or 25, you’re pretty much fully developed there.

“There are some small things that you learn along the way, but as far as outright pace, you’re pretty much close to what your maximum will be.

“But, it’s nice to have that experience.”

Herta lines-up alongside an experienced teammate at Hitech in the form of Ritomo Miyata.

The 26-year-old will be competing in his third F2 season.

“I think what’s very helpful is having Ritomo as a teammate also, with a lot of F2 experience,” said Herta. “I think it’s going to be very helpful for me this year.”

Latest on Cadillac from PlanetF1.com

Pat Symonds says Sergio Perez ‘bad press’ at Red Bull was undeserved

What Jeremy Clarkson got right and wrong about Cadillac’s livery

Herta will not be judged on his F2 performances alone when Cadillac assesses his F1 readiness.

The 25-year-old is also set for Cadillac F1 sim time, and FP1 outings in what is Cadillac’s first season on the grid.

“Seat time in an F1 car is probably going to be the most important thing to get me ready for Formula 1!” Herta declared when asked by PlanetF1.com about those planned FP1 opportunities. “So, yeah, looking forward to that.

“Obviously, it’s a big task and big job that they have on, so I don’t know exactly when those FP1s are going to come. It’s pretty far down on the priority list at the moment!

“But it’s very exciting to see them testing. I think talking to a lot of people, they’re very happy with how it’s going. I think they’ve seen some bumps along the way, but they’re very excited about the progress.”

The F2 2026 campaign will get underway in unison with Formula 1 at Albert Park. The first F2 Sprint race of the year will run on 7 March, with the Feature race on 8 March.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next – F1 testing 2026: How each team performed over six days of running