{"id":94451,"date":"2025-10-22T14:55:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/94451\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T14:55:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:55:15","slug":"f1-news-colton-herta-secures-2026-f2-deal-with-hitech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/94451\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: Colton Herta secures 2026 F2 deal with Hitech"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Colton
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tColton Herta will race with Hitech in F2 next season. Image: Cadillac<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old, who was recently announced as a test and reserve driver<\/a> for the incoming Cadillac Formula 1 team, will move to Europe to compete full-time in F2.<\/p>\n

The shift from North America to the Europe-based championship is a key step designed to put him \u201cin the best possible position\u201d to earn a future Formula 1 opportunity.<\/p>\n

Herta\u2019s move to the FIA Formula 2 Championship has been long-awaited since the announcement that he will join Cadillac.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly excited to be joining Hitech for the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season,\u201d Herta said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big shift in my career, and I\u2019m ready for the challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved my time in IndyCar and I\u2019m proud of everything I achieved, but the opportunity to race in F2 \u2013 to compete on the Formula 1 calendar, against some of the best young drivers in the world \u2013 was one I couldn\u2019t pass up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herta\u2019s move marks a major change in direction after seven seasons in IndyCar, where he has claimed nine victories, 19 podiums and 16 pole positions since debuting in 2018.<\/p>\n

He finished runner-up in the 2024 championship and had long been linked to F1 \u2014 notably coming close to a seat with Alfa Romeo in 2022 and later testing for McLaren before a proposed move to AlphaTauri fell through over Super Licence restrictions.<\/p>\n

Now, with Cadillac joining the F1 grid in 2026<\/a>, Herta\u2019s move to F2 will allow him to gain experience on European circuits and build the points needed for an FIA Super Licence.<\/p>\n

He will also continue his duties with Cadillac\u2019s F1 programme throughout the year, balancing testing and simulator work alongside his race commitments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always worked to keep the door to F1 open, and this move is part of that ultimate ambition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it won\u2019t be easy \u2013 learning the car, the tyres, the tracks \u2013 but I\u2019m approaching this with determination, focus, and a lot of motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal is to compete at the front, continue developing as a driver, and put myself in the best possible position for a future in Formula 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hitech currently sits second in the F2 teams\u2019 championship and has a strong record of developing drivers on the path to F1, including Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Nikita Mazepin.<\/p>\n

Team manager Clive Hatton said the squad was eager to help Herta make the transition.<\/p>\n

Mullets, motivation and momentum: Inside Cadillac\u2019s F1 project<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to welcome Colton to the team for the 2026 Formula 2 season,\u201d Hatton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s stepping into a new racing environment with high expectations and a clear goal of progressing to F1.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis determination and commitment are impressive, and we\u2019re excited to help maximise his potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cadillac F1 Team CEO Dan Towriss described the F2 move as \u201can important next step\u201d for Herta\u2019s long-term F1 ambitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompeting in F2 will not only strengthen his racecraft in the European environment but also allow for greater integration with our team as he continues to support us with his testing and simulator duties,\u201d Towriss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud of Colton\u2019s commitment to success in European racing, and we look forward to seeing him take on this exciting new challenge with Hitech.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2026 F2 season begins in Melbourne during the Australian Grand Prix weekend in March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Colton Herta will race with Hitech in F2 next season. Image: Cadillac The 25-year-old, who was recently announced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[5754,5755,70180,1199,111,139,69,213],"class_list":{"0":"post-94451","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-cadillac-f1","9":"tag-colton-herta","10":"tag-f2","11":"tag-hitech","12":"tag-new-zealand","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-nz","15":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}