Colton Herta verdict cast by F2 chief amid ‘back to school’ preparations
Already signed as Cadillac reserve, Colton will race in Formula 2 next season.
Colton Herta is preparing for a crucial season in Formula 2, having bid farewell to IndyCar in order to chase his Formula 1 dream.
Having signed as the first Cadillac F1 test driver, Herta will line-up on the Formula 2 grid for 2026. Competing in the premiere junior category on the road to Formula 1, Herta will look to earn his way into Formula 1. F2 boss Bruno Michel sees experience as one of Herta’s advantages, yet a lack of modern Formula 3 running a challenge, as Herta continues his preparations.
Colton Herta gearing up for 2026 Formula 2 season
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A nine-time race winner in IndyCar, Herta will take to the 2026 F2 grid with Hitech, having opted for a major change in career course. Formula 1 is the end goal.
Herta has had near-misses in the past, having been strongly linked to a seat during Michael Andretti’s unsuccessful Sauber takeover attempt. He was later in the mix to join Red Bull’s second team, then known as AlphaTauri, though insufficient Super Licence points scuppered that.
Cadillac’s arrival in Formula 1 presents another potential avenue, and Herta will head to F2, as arguably its most high-profile driver yet, looking to bag his Super Licence, and impress the Formula 1 paddock.
F2 CEO Bruno Michel revealed to RacingNews365.com the advantages which he thinks Herta has going into the season.
“He’s an experienced driver, and that always helps. He’s been racing quite a lot,” Michel began.
“He’s 25 now, which means he’s got quite a lot of racing under his belt. And that, of course, is going to be an advantage for him.
“I’m sure he’s got a race craft that is more developed than the young drivers arriving directly in Formula 2. So, for sure, it’s going to help.
“The other thing I would say, probably the only thing in common that we have, is that IndyCar is also a Dallara car, like ours — even though they’re slightly different. But let’s say that Dallara has a philosophy, and it’s a single-make category like ours.
“So, all this is something that is going to be important for him, and it’s going to help him.”
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So, those are the advantages which Michel foresees for Herta. Now, “the difficulties” were laid out.
“Number one: the format of the weekend, because it’s something that he’s not used to.
“I don’t know how much track time you have in IndyCar, but I’m sure you have more than F2 or over a Formula 1 weekend.”
F2 drivers get one 45-minute practice session ahead of qualifying and the Sprint/Feature races.
“So he will have to be ready to get ready in such a short time, with limited free practice, limited official testing as well, because that’s what we’re doing to try to limit the cost of the category.
“Of course, the use of the tyres, the use of the engine and the tracks that he doesn’t know and that he will have to learn.
“I would say that’s probably the easiest bit, because the strong drivers are learning the tracks extremely fast; they’re working on simulators, and then they get ready quite soon. But for sure, the environment is going to be very different.”
Michel suggested that the “extremely strong preparation” in Formula 3 which most current F2 drivers went through could also be a factor, with Herta having not had that experience.
Herta did race in British and Spanish Formula 3 earlier in his career, but that was a different beast to the modern day Formula 3, following the FIA’s restructuring of the junior ladder.
Michel continued: “And so he will have some advantages related to his experience, but some — I wouldn’t say difficulties — challenges that will be related to the format and the fact that drivers have been in Formula 3, understand the way it works over a race weekend — and Formula 3 is an extremely strong preparation for Formula 2, and he is not going to have that, that’s for sure.”
Speaking about his preparations for the F2 season via F1 TV, Herta said: “It’s back to school, it’s back to learning a lot of basics.
“How you drive each formula car, even though they look the same, they’re quite different, and the Formula 2 car is very different.
“It’s back to basics, try to learn how I need to brake, how I need to get off the brake and back to throttle, managing the Pirelli tyre, which are very different to our Firestones in IndyCar.
“So there’s a lot of new stuff, but I’m excited for it.
“There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to be new for me, but there’s a lot of stuff that I remember from my F3 days and my F4 days. It’s going to be exciting. It’s a big programme.”
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