Cadillac F1 reserve driver Colton Herta says his rookie Formula 2 campaign with Hitech has fallen short of expectations at the season’s halfway point, pointing to qualifying as the main area he needs to fix.
Quick Answer: Colton Herta, racing for Hitech in his rookie Formula 2 season while serving as Cadillac’s Formula 1 reserve driver, has admitted his campaign so far has been disappointing. Heading into the Silverstone round, Herta sat around 15th-17th in the standings, identifying qualifying pace as his biggest weakness.
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A Bold Career Gamble
Colton Herta, a nine-time IndyCar race winner, made a rare backward step in 2026 by leaving Andretti Global’s IndyCar program to race in Formula 2 with the Hitech team. The move, championed by TWG Global CEO Dan Towriss, was designed to help Herta learn unfamiliar European tracks, adapt to Pirelli tires, and gather the super license points needed to eventually race in Formula 1 for Cadillac.
Direct Answer: Herta himself summed up his season bluntly, saying he “wouldn’t grade my season so far very highly at all” and that it has “been disappointing from that side of things,” while adding he needs to keep making small steps of improvement.
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Qualifying Remains The Achilles’ Heel
Herta’s best result of the season has been a fifth-place finish in the Barcelona Sprint race, a run where he was actually running as high as third before a late error cost him positions. However, he has also endured a stretch of five races without scoring points, and has only qualified in the top half of the 22-car grid once all season. Herta has been candid that qualifying, not race pace, is holding him back. “Our race pace has been much better than our qualifying pace, so that’s kind of goal number one right now,” he said, adding that fixing it could help him finish the season on a stronger note.
Cadillac Still Backing His Progress
Despite the underwhelming results, Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss has downplayed the importance of Herta’s championship position, noting that the priority was always for Herta to learn tracks and tires rather than chase outright results in his rookie F2 year. Herta has also already completed his first Formula 1 practice session for Cadillac at the Spanish Grand Prix weekend as part of his ongoing development.
What’s Next
With the F2 season reaching its halfway point at Silverstone, Herta will look to convert his often-strong race pace into better grid positions over the second half of the year, as speculation continues over whether his performances will be enough to earn him a seat alongside Cadillac’s 2027 Formula 1 lineup.
Source Name : Autoweek
FAQ
Why did Colton Herta move from IndyCar to Formula 2?
Herta switched to F2 in 2026 to gain experience on European tracks and Pirelli tires and to earn the super license points needed for a future Formula 1 seat with Cadillac.
What has Colton Herta said about his F2 season?
Herta has openly called his season “”disappointing,”” saying he wouldn’t grade it highly, while pointing to qualifying as his main weakness compared to his stronger race pace.
Is Colton Herta still in line for a Cadillac F1 seat?
Cadillac executives have said Herta is achieving his learning goals in F2 despite modest results, and he continues to serve as the team’s Formula 1 reserve and test driver.
