Colton Herta rules out another F2 season amid Cadillac talks
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 28, 2026
Formula 2 season
Colton Herta says his focus stays on Formula 1, even as his first Formula 2 season has brought limited results and a familiar set of questions about his next move. Herta moved from IndyCar to Europe this year and joined Hitech for his rookie campaign, but he has found the transition difficult on race weekends. He sits 19th in the Formula 2 standings with 26 points, and his best finish is fifth in the Barcelona sprint race. A qualifying crash in Madrid wiped out both of his races there, another setback in a season that has not delivered the pace he expected. Herta said he has had “zero pace” on race weekends, even though his private testing and winter form pointed to more. He has scored points only once in his last 13 races, a stretch that has made the learning curve even steeper. Herta has still backed himself to reach Formula 1 within the next two years, and he has made clear that is the target driving everything else. He said his priority remains Formula 1, and that stance has shaped how he views the rest of his career. He also said he will not race another Formula 2 season, a firm line that leaves his current championship as a one-year stop rather than a long-term plan.
Cadillac plans
Herta’s future is tied closely to Cadillac, where he is working as a reserve and development driver while his options for the next step come into focus. He is in talks with Cadillac about his plans and has spent more time in the simulator as well as in a TPC test with the Formula 1 team. That work has kept him connected to the program while he tries to close the gap to a seat. Herta said he still needs two Super Licence points to be eligible for a Formula 1 drive, a reminder that his path to the grid still has a final hurdle. He said one more Cadillac practice session is still scheduled, giving him another chance to build mileage and stay in the conversation. At the same time, he said he has not been given feedback on his Formula 2 performance, which leaves his race results separate from the work he is doing with Cadillac. That split matters because his current season has not been a clean measuring stick, even if it has shown where he stands in a single-seater environment. The Cadillac connection gives him a route forward, but it does not remove the pressure on him to prove he can turn testing and preparation into something stronger on race weekends.
Formula 1 goals
The clearest part of Herta’s message is that Formula 1 remains the destination, and everything else sits behind that goal. That view gives his current season a different frame. Formula 2 is a bridge, not an endpoint, and he is treating it that way even after a difficult run of results. The lack of pace he described has been real enough on the track, but it has not changed his outlook. Herta has already moved from IndyCar to Europe, taken on the demands of a first Formula 2 season and kept working with Cadillac at the same time. That combination leaves him juggling development work, testing and a championship that has not produced the numbers he wanted. He has a possible return to IndyCar in his back pocket, though he described it as only one option rather than a plan he wants to chase now. For the moment, the path is clear. He wants Formula 1, he is staying in the Cadillac system and he is closing the door on another Formula 2 campaign.
