Colton Herta says he is still aiming to reach F1 by 2028. Image: XPB Images
The American has endured a difficult first season in Formula 2 after leaving IndyCar to join Hitech, sitting 19th in the standings with 26 points as he combines his campaign with test and development work for Cadillac.
Herta had appeared to shut the door on another F2 season only a week ago when he said he had “no interest in another year of Formula 2”, but has now clarified that a return has not been completely excluded.
Explaining his earlier remarks to Autosport, Herta said: “I said ‘I don’t have an interest’.
“This year, I think if there was clear progression and whatnot, it would be more interesting to return, but there’s zero progression.
“I’ve been doing a lot more with the F1 team now as far as sim stuff. I just did a TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] day on Monday, which was very strong.
“On the F1 sim and the TPC stuff, the pace has been really strong, but for whatever reason, it’s just not translating to F2.”
Herta said discussions were continuing with Cadillac over what role he could hold next season, with no deal yet in place.
“I don’t have anything for next year at the moment, but we’re discussing, getting through that as far as what the opportunities are for me within the team.”
Although another year in F2 remains possible, his priority is still to reach F1 rather than simply extend his stay in the feeder category.
“It all depends on what next year looks like,” he added.
“My focus is still on getting to F1, and I still think I have a chance of that in these next two years.
“But I don’t know exactly, I have to sit back and see what the plan is for Cadillac for me.
“And once I know that, then I can make more decisions on maybe if I’m in Formula 1, if I’m not.
“What does that look like in terms of, is it a reserve role? Is it still a test role? If that’s the case, what other series can I race in during that to stay busy?
“So, there’s a lot of just, like, nothing to say at the moment, unfortunately, until I have more solidified plans for next year – then I can build everything out around that.”
Herta’s F2 results have fallen short of the expectations outlined by Cadillac before the season, with Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss having previously targeted a top-10 championship finish.
His strongest result remains fifth in the Barcelona sprint, while his qualifying performances have also deteriorated as the season has progressed.
His latest weekend in Azerbaijan brought a best result of ninth in the sprint race before he finished 13th and 15th across the two feature races.