Colton Herta, a prominent IndyCar driver, has left the series to join Hitech in Formula 2 for the 2025 season. This move aims to earn the remaining superlicence points needed for a potential Formula 1 seat with the incoming Cadillac team in 2026. As a test driver for Cadillac, Herta seeks to prove his readiness alongside veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Colton Herta, son of IndyCar racer and team owner Bryan Herta, began his single-seater career in Europe at age 15. He finished third in the 2015 MSA Formula championship, behind Lando Norris, and placed third again in the 2016 Euroformula Open behind Leonardo Pulcini and Ferdinand Habsburg. In a 2016 interview, Herta expressed little interest in Formula 1, citing the dominance of one team and the challenges of competing without a top car.
Herta found success in North American series, earning Rookie of the Year in Indy Lights in 2017 and finishing second in 2018. He debuted in IndyCar with Andretti and became the series' youngest winner at 18, triumphing at Circuit of the Americas in 2019. Over seven years, he secured nine victories in 117 races, including third place in the 2020 championship and runner-up in 2024.
Formula 1 opportunities arose but faltered. In 2021, Herta tested a simulator for what was then Andretti's Sauber bid, which collapsed. He conducted a two-day test with McLaren in 2022 amid Red Bull's search for a driver, but lacked eight superlicence points, leading to Nyck de Vries' selection instead.
Now, with Cadillac's 2026 Formula 1 entry approved under General Motors' backing, Herta serves as test driver. The team opted for experienced drivers Perez and Bottas, with Zhou Guanyu as reserve. Herta, at 24, joins Hitech in F2 to gain six more points—he currently has 34—needing just a top-eight finish. Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss emphasized that Herta must earn a seat, targeting a top-10 F2 finish.
In pre-season testing at Barcelona last week, Herta placed 12th, within six tenths of pacesetter Rafael Camara. He described the F2 car as a significant shift from IndyCar, requiring adaptation to tyre management with Pirelli rubber. Herta's teammate, Ritomo Miyata, brings F2 experience from prior seasons with Rodin and ART, where he struggled to podiums despite success in Japanese series.
Herta remains ambitious: "Everything that I hop into, I want to be competitive and I want to be strong." He anticipates simulator work and FP1 sessions will aid his evaluation, though success may depend on Perez and Bottas' performances. Towriss noted a holistic assessment, including F2 results and testing contributions.