Colton Herta before his arrival in F2: "It would be a mistake to think I'll be immediately up to speed."

Colton Herta, once considered a potential full-time driver for Cadillac, will not make his debut in F1 immediately. Outpaced by two experienced profiles: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, the American driver, will finally go through the Formula 2 starting next season. In 2026, the driver IndyCar will lay the first stone of his new project, while questions remain about his future performance.

“I think it’s a necessary step in my progression as a racing driver, and hopefully as a Formula 1 driver in the future – it’s an important step,” he rejoiced"It's a new beginning, a new opportunity, something new for me, so it's exciting."

Regarding its performance, the protégé of the new Cadillac program is thus cautious, although ambitious over a medium-term horizon. "The goal must be to be competitive, and to achieve that as quickly as possible," he clarifiesIt would be a mistake to think I'll be immediately up to speed, ready to win in my first race. I may be older, but in terms of speed, these guys are as fast as anyone. I'm fully aware of the task ahead; I know it will be difficult, but I'm eager to get started. I'm here to learn, to ride, and hopefully, to be fast.

With a strong desire to establish itself both in F1 and at the heart of European feeder series, Cadillac primarily aims to develop a pathway for American drivers seeking adventure in carWith this in mind, the team expected to be on the grid in 2026 has chosen an interesting placement from a sporting perspective, without managing to secure a place with Invicta, the leading F2 team since 2024.

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A leap into the unknown for Colton Herta and Cadillac

"I think that when we were looking at the teams, myself and Cadillac as well, the most important criterion was that they were results-oriented," develops Colton HertaI think Hitech meets all the criteria of a professional team, and as you can see this year and in previous seasons, not only in F2, but also in Formula 3 And in F4, they seem to excel in every area, and there's a reason for that.

Now, the 26-year-old driver must, on the one hand, get used to his new car upon arriving in Europe, but also to a pace very different from that observed in the United States. “In IndyCar, we’re used to having a fairly long off-season, plenty of time to decompress, analyze the situation, and get a clear idea of ​​our goals for the following year,” he comparesThat's not really the case in Formula 2. The off-season is quite short, as is the restart, and there's also testing during that period. There's really no downtime for the team. But they've been fantastic with me; they've given me their time, even though they have to dedicate most of it to winning the championship.

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Not inclined to make long-term plans, but expected nonetheless given his status, the driver with nine IndyCar victories appears eager to embark on his new adventure, for which he still lacks reference points. "First, I need to understand what I have to do, familiarize myself with the simulator to get an idea of ​​what F2 will feel like when I get behind the wheel for the first time."

Does the project seem too ambitious for Colton Herta, who is about to face drivers with one or more seasons of single-seater experience? Alongside drivers such as Rafael Câmara, Luke Browning, Nikola Tsolov, and Alexander Dunne, won't the comparison call into question the American's intrinsic ability? The answer should come in just a few months.