Colton Herta confirms Indy 500 goal amid Cadillac F1 uncertainty
Colton Herta does not yet know how his 2027 schedule looks
Having seen his plans to contest the 2026 Indy 500 unravel, Colton Herta confirmed that he “100 per cent” wants to make his return to the event.
Herta, however, pointed out that his 2027 schedule at present remains uncertain. Returning to Formula 2 is not his priority, while it is not clear where he may feature in Cadillac’s F1 2027 plans.
Colton Herta wants to return to Indy 500
The American left IndyCar for Formula 2 in 2026, as part of his push to join the Formula 1 grid.
Signing with Hitech, Herta is also due a total of four FP1 sessions with Cadillac before season’s end.
However, the 26-year-old’s next move is unclear.
His F2 campaign has not gone to plan. Yet to score a podium, he sits 19th in the championship with two scheduled rounds of the season, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, remaining.
Short of his FIA Super Licence as it stands, the California native is not sure how 2027 yet looks for him.
What he does know is that he would like to do the Indianapolis 500 again.
The jewel in the crown of the IndyCar calendar, Herta was forced to shelve his plans for the event this year, after F2 visited Miami and Canada for the first time as part of a reworked calendar.
“Yeah, I’ll never turn down the Indy 500,” Herta confirmed to Motorsport.com with an eye on 2027. “I always want to do the Indy 500. It was a shame this year that I couldn’t do it. It was all set up.”
He affirmed that the altered F2 calendar “threw everything out” as the 2026 Indy 500 now clashed with F2’s debut in Canada.
“But it was going to happen and unfortunately it didn’t,” he continued. “I don’t know what next year looks like for me. But if I get the chance, 100 per cent, I would love to do the Indy 500.”
In addition to his Cadillac FP1s, Herta has also been able to dovetail his F2 campaign with select IMSA SportsCar Championship endurance rounds.
With Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, he has competed at Daytona, Sebring and the Petit Le Mans, making the podium in the latter.
Herta is also desperate to return to those endurance events, 2027 plans permitting.
More on Colton Herta from PlanetF1.com
Three Cadillac F1 options as Colton Herta future uncertain
Herta clarifies Formula 2 stance as Cadillac future remains unclear
Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel recently expressed his surprise over the extent of Herta’s struggle to adapt to the series.
“It has been more difficult than what I thought it was going to be because Colton is a very strong driver. There’s no doubt about that,” he said in response to a question from PlanetF1.com.
“He and we maybe underestimated the difference of working environment that we have, compared to IndyCar teams.
“But I don’t think it has to be settled as an example, and I really hope that he’s going to finish the season on a high. We’re still hoping for that.
“He had some good races as well. He had more difficulties in quali, and maybe also that’s one of the limits that we were having, because you need to, in 30 minutes, come up with the right time immediately.
“You have one lap, maybe two flying laps on a set of tyres, in which you have very limited track time.
“That’s also the way we prepare drivers for Formula 1 because in Formula 1, you have limited track time as well. So probably he struggled for that and he suffered from that a bit more than what he expected.
“Now, I really hope sincerely that he’s going to finish the season on a high. He deserves it.”
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: The seven best F1 circuits for overtaking on the calendar
