Mario Andretti, the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion, and a Cadillac F1 board member, says he has \u201cvolumes of respect\u201d for Colton Herta after making the move to Formula 2, as he chases his F1 dream.<\/p>\n
That comes after Herta called his first F2 race weekend in Melbourne \u201cunsatisfactory\u201d, giving himself a \u201cC minus\u201d grading. Andretti spoke with Herta \u2013 a Cadillac F1<\/a> test driver \u2013 following Melbourne, and assures that Herta has the full support of Cadillac F1 behind him.<\/p>\n Mario Andretti supports Colton Herta after Formula 2 debut struggles<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Herta left his IndyCar career behind to go all in on his Formula 1 dream.<\/p>\n Herta would sign with Hitech for the 2026 Formula 2 season. He also linked-up with the new Cadillac F1 team as a test driver.<\/p>\n \u201cI have volumes of respect for what he\u2019s trying to do,\u201d Andretti declared on Herta, while speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it shows me that he has pure, pure desire to be in Formula 1, and that\u2019s what it takes.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously here in America, we\u2019re fortunate that you can make it, have a solid, totally satisfying career, just by being here in Indy cars or NASCAR, IMSA.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you could see that he has definitely some unfinished business, if you will. He wants to have his time in Formula 1, and this is an opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he\u2019s willing to sacrifice, make a step back, to make many steps forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Herta made his F2 debut in Melbourne, but walked away unsatisfied with his performance.<\/p>\n A crash during the sole practice session put Herta on the back foot. He did recover to score points in the Feature Race in P7.<\/p>\n Latest Cadillac F1 news from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez \u2018a bit rusty\u2019; Mario Andretti praises Cadillac F1 progress<\/a><\/p>\n Sergio Perez admits blame for Valtteri Bottas collision and jokes \u2018I need a mushroom\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Herta has been set the target of making the top 10 in the championship by Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss.<\/p>\n Andretti believes Herta will be \u201cjust fine\u201d as he tries to make F2 his gateway into Formula 1.<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke with him,\u201d said Andretti about Herta. \u201cI had the opportunity to chat with him quite a bit after his race over in Melbourne and so forth. He\u2019s very up on things. He\u2019ll be just fine.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s okay with what he has to do, and he has the full team support to try to just get to where he wants to be.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s something really good to look forward to here.<\/p>\n \u201cAgain, I can say I respect tremendously what he\u2019s doing, out of pure love and desire.\u201d<\/p>\n Herta will next be in F2 action at Round 2 in Monaco.<\/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