Colton Herta is preparing for a crucial season in Formula 2, having bid farewell to IndyCar in order to chase his Formula 1 dream.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s advantages, yet a lack of modern Formula 3 running a challenge, as Herta continues his preparations.<\/p>\n
Colton Herta gearing up for 2026 Formula 2 season<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Herta has had near-misses in the past, having been strongly linked to a seat during Michael Andretti\u2019s unsuccessful Sauber takeover attempt. He was later in the mix to join Red Bull\u2019s second team, then known as AlphaTauri, though insufficient Super Licence points scuppered that.<\/p>\n
Cadillac\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
F2 CEO Bruno Michel revealed to RacingNews365.com the advantages which he thinks Herta has going into the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an experienced driver, and that always helps. He\u2019s been racing quite a lot,\u201d Michel began.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 25 now, which means he\u2019s got quite a lot of racing under his belt. And that, of course, is going to be an advantage for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s got a race craft that is more developed than the young drivers arriving directly in Formula 2. So, for sure, it\u2019s going to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other thing I would say, probably the only thing in common that we have, is that IndyCar is also a Dallara car, like ours \u2014 even though they\u2019re slightly different. But let\u2019s say that Dallara has a philosophy, and it\u2019s a single-make category like ours.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, all this is something that is going to be important for him, and it\u2019s going to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n
More on Colton Herta from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n
Why Colton Herta has taken an extremely bold risk in F2 switch<\/a><\/p>\n FIA Super Licence explained: How drivers can reach the magic 40-point mark to race in F1<\/a><\/p>\n So, those are the advantages which Michel foresees for Herta. Now, \u201cthe difficulties\u201d were laid out.<\/p>\n \u201cNumber one: the format of the weekend, because it\u2019s something that he\u2019s not used to.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how much track time you have in IndyCar, but I\u2019m sure you have more than F2 or over a Formula 1 weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n F2 drivers get one 45-minute practice session ahead of qualifying and the Sprint\/Feature races.<\/p>\n \u201cSo 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\u2019s what we\u2019re doing to try to limit the cost of the category.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, the use of the tyres, the use of the engine and the tracks that he doesn\u2019t know and that he will have to learn.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that\u2019s probably the easiest bit, because the strong drivers are learning the tracks extremely fast; they\u2019re working on simulators, and then they get ready quite soon. But for sure, the environment is going to be very different.\u201d<\/p>\n Michel suggested that the \u201cextremely strong preparation\u201d in Formula 3 which most current F2 drivers went through could also be a factor, with Herta having not had that experience.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s restructuring of the junior ladder.<\/p>\n Michel continued: \u201cAnd so he will have some advantages related to his experience, but some \u2014 I wouldn\u2019t say difficulties \u2014 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 \u2014 and Formula 3 is an extremely strong preparation for Formula 2, and he is not going to have that, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking about his preparations for the F2 season via F1 TV, Herta said: \u201cIt\u2019s back to school, it\u2019s back to learning a lot of basics.<\/p>\n \u201cHow you drive each formula car, even though they look the same, they\u2019re quite different, and the Formula 2 car is very different.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s a lot of new stuff, but I\u2019m excited for it.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stuff that\u2019s going to be new for me, but there\u2019s a lot of stuff that I remember from my F3 days and my F4 days. It\u2019s going to be exciting. It\u2019s a big programme.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n