It is official: Colton Herta will not return to the Indycar series in 2026.
Only a few weeks ago it seemed like a imaginative outcome, especially with Cadillac who chose two experienced drivers in his Formula 1 team about what it described as multi-year contracts.
Herta could have given that for another year or two to secure the FIA Super License points he needed in Indycar, but instead he is immediately integrated into the Cadillac setup.
No secret has been made of the desire to give Herta a chance in Formula 1, with the original Andretti Global Bid that suggests that he would ideally be one of his racing drivers. Now the Dan Towriss-Run TWG Motorsports operation wants to create a path from IndyCar to one of the F1 seats.
At the age of 25 it would be a big step for Herta to stop racing to commit himself full-time to the F1 role, but he leaves Indycar and has now not announced his 2026 racing program.
It is possible that he will not have large – six FP1 trips that see him cover at least 100 km and do not pick up a fine, would give him the required points for his super license – but the most likely scenario is that Herta will link His now confirmed Cadillac Test Driver Job With a Formula 2 ride.
Yes, it is a step for a nine racing winner in Indycar to a Rookie in F2, but there are several reasons why the move would make sense.
First, with its Cadillac roll now confirmed, racing in the F1 Feeder series would keep the team in and around the team all year round, while they can also stay sharp. All F2 events are supporting races during an F1 weekend, so there would be no clashes in his schedule that will prevent him from being with the team on the spot.
Another – very obvious – reason to racing in F2 are the supererie points offered. The 10th place in the championship receives three points, and the eighth gives him the six he needs to touch the magic number of 40 (the top three in the rankings all automatically get the required 40). Even the points for P10 would bring him much closer to the total, which would reduce the number of FP1 sessions in which it should be reduced – sessions in which he could participate more easily by not racing in Indycar.
There is also track experience. Racing on the same circuit as F1 in each of the F2 weekends would continue to build up the knowledge of Herta of the locations and at the same time that Cadillac will compete on them. He would also use Pirelli tires that were designed to break down in a similar way if those used in F1. Although they are far from identical and the machines also influence how the band feels for the driver, it is a detail that would bring him to a more level playing field against other drivers who come through the F1 ladder.
As small as each of the latter two points, when you combine all those aspects, there is a clear advantage in terms that the Herta is better prepared if he gets the chance to race in F1 in the future.
We could debate whether the ladder and super leurie points are correctly structured when someone who is so talented and successful in Indycar, because Herta still has no approval for racing in F1, but if Herta and Twg are committed to that preparation via F2, this would show a large part of respect for the current system.
F2 “Prep School” clearly served Hadjar and Bortoletto well in F1. Peter Fox/Getty images
The influx of Rookies of F2 this year is a good example of both the advantages and disadvantages of such a movement.
Isack Hadjar took his first stage on Sunday in Zandvoort and excelled for Racebulls in his first season after ending second in last year’s F2 championship. Hadjar also came to F3 in F2 before two years, but is now being recommended as a future Red Bull driver.
2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto is very impressed by Sauber, with a top-six finish to his name this year. Kimi Antonelli took his first stage in Canada and Oliver Bearman was a career-best sixth only three days ago for Haas.
Nevertheless, Bearman and Antonelli are proof that racing in F2 is no guarantee for success or super licensing points. Bearman won three races in 2024, but finished 12th in the championship, while Antonelli also faded in position, despite the few teammates in the usually strong Prema team.
But the movement of engineers and mechanics, plus at-Tims-temperamental machines, can create clear strengths and weaknesses among the teams, despite the specifications of the series. Add only one short practice session prior to qualification, and there is little time to disable problems during a weekend.
Bearman and Antonelli at least had the superlative points in hand, but their respective seasons last year – and performances so far this season – should prove that they have the opportunity, even if they could not always show it in F2. It is a fact that Herta, TWG and all his supporters must keep in mind when an F2 drive is confirmed. Results are perhaps the target, but they are still not only due to the driver and their skills.
Such a movement threatens to hurt Herta’s reputation to those who only look at his final positions when he is struggling with younger drivers who have been on the same path for years. But even if the Superlice points do not follow, the preparation for the next step – especially when it is accompanied by an F1 team role – is still valuable.
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