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“People would love to see an American back in F1. But we have to be good” – Herta on F2 move

For a number of weeks it has been clear that Colton Herta was set for a move to Formula 2, but until the team was officially confirmed, it remained just a plan. Now the final piece of the puzzle is in place, with the Californian racing for Hitech in 2026 as he returns to the Europe and a place on the single-seater ladder just below Formula 1.

There have been critics of the fact that IndyCar doesn’t offer enough Super License points to make such a move unnecessary, but parking that argument for a second, Herta sees obvious benefits of spending time in F2 prior to a potential future F1 chance.

“It does seem that way,” Herta tells RACER of whether F2 would give him a better chance of success compared to jumping straight from IndyCar. “As far as guys that have made that jump in the past, it’s almost exclusively guys coming from Formula 2 at this point. It seems like the series is set up in a way where those guys are able to get on really quick.

“I remember Ollie Bearman when he hopped in the Ferrari, it was really impressive. I think [Kimi] Antonelli is doing a great job this year. You look at a lot of the rookies that have come up, they’re able to perform quite quickly. I think that’s a testament to what Formula 2 has to offer for them.

“Also, in a way, it was really important for me to be fresh and be racing. I didn’t want to just be a test driver and not have anything to do all year besides going to tests. It’s not as exciting for me. I really wanted to be able to race against other guys, talented drivers. This was kind of an easy, like, ‘Yes, let’s do this’ decision for me.”

It’s not a decision that was taken lightly, either. Herta says he spent a long time considering the opportunity that he had in front of him.

“I think the discussions started halfway through the IndyCar season last year,” he says. “The F1 stuff was getting close to being announced. Dan [Towriss] came to me with this opportunity to be a test driver and get my feet wet in European motorsports again.

“For me, I think it was a really cool opportunity, something that I know I wasn’t going to get the chance to do again.

“As far as what this move is, it’s trying to get to F1, it’s trying to be an F1 racing driver. I think at my age (25), this was really the last good shot, strong shot, that I was going to have to be able to do it.

“There were a lot of discussions. It was not an easy decision. Obviously, I’m leaving a lot of great people in IndyCar that I respect. A lot of guys that I’ve worked with basically my whole IndyCar career, all seven seasons of it.

“It was a hard thing to do, hard decision to make. But for me, I really want to fight for my chance of being in Formula 1. I really want the opportunity to be there. It’s always been a goal of mine. It’s kind of been mutual of my love of IndyCars. I’ve always wanted to try to make it to Formula 1. This is what I see it as. It’s my best shot.”

Herta’s last European forway was in 2015-2016, when he raced in MSA Formula (pictured), British F3 and the Euroformula Open Championship. Jakob Ebrey/Getty Images

That shot starts with a race seat at Hitech, an F2 team just a short walk from Cadillac’s current Silverstone base in the UK. Logistically, that’s a bonus for Herta, but joining a team that is currently competing for both the teams’ and drivers’ championships in F2 was of greater importance.

“There are quite a few options of teams that we were looking at,” he says. “I think Hitech stands out for a number of reasons. For me, the close proximity to the F1 workshop was really nice. Being in the UK was a big plus for that aspect, too.

“More so, it’s results-driven. We think that they’re a really strong team. They have really strong capabilities. The engineering staff who I’ve met have been standouts of guys that have been around the paddock for a long time.

“I think that’s the biggest thing. It has to be results-driven and we’ve seen what they can do. For me, I couldn’t be more happy to join a team that’s able to compete at the front and compete for wins and championships.”

Testing is set to start later this year, and if all goes well with Hitech, Herta will be earning the Super License points that will put him on the doorstep of F1. But for now, even the test driver role is something he’s cherishing given it comes with being part of the newest team in the sport, and an iconic American brand.

“I think people in Europe know how passionate Americans are about America,” he says. “I’m the same way. I’m very patriotic about my country. So it’s cool to have that American team with an American manufacturer.

“And beyond that, it’s an honor. I know Cadillac is very invested in the program, and they want it to succeed. And they want it to do well. (From) some of the conversations that I’ve had with people from Cadillac and GM, (they) are very excited to be entering into Formula 1. Even though it’s new, it’s fresh for them. I think they want to stay around, and they want to be competitive, and they want to win.

“So from what I’ve seen so far, it looks really promising at the investment that’s being made and how everything’s going. So I just hope that it all pays off. But for me, it is really cool to be an American aligned with a Formula 1 team that’s truly American.”

The partnership of a young, proven, American IndyCar driver working his way through the ranks with U.S. F1 team could prove to be a massive moment for motorsport in the States, and Herta feels the support from fans. But he knows only results will truly make the move a success.

“A lot of people have said a lot of nice things on the internet… Well, a lot of people also said some not-so-nice things, but you’ve got to take the good with the bad!” he says.

“But I think it’s cool because I really would love to get to Formula 1. And a lot of that’s for my country, too. I think people would love to see an American back in Formula 1. But the most important thing is we have to be good. We have to be strong. For it to be successful, I have to be fast. So taking these steps is really pivotal and really important.

“But it is cool. I loved watching COTA last weekend and seeing how packed that place was, full of American fans. It’s cool. It’s awesome that we have three races, too. I know a lot of other countries are probably really jealous of that, but it feels really special to me.”

If that alone seems special, just imagine what it would be like to see Herta succeed in F2 and line-up on the United States Grand Prix grid for Cadillac one day in the future…