Cadillac F1 boss Dan Towriss has confirmed that IndyCar star Colton Herta will leave his Andretti IndyCar seat to race in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2026, a daring move aimed at securing a full-time Formula 1 seat with the American outfit in the future.
Announced this week as Cadillac’s test and development driver for their 2026 F1 debut, Herta’s shift to F2 marks an unprecedented step for an IndyCar frontrunner, underscoring his determination to break into the pinnacle of motorsport.
Herta, a nine-time IndyCar race winner and the 2024 series runner-up, has been a long-time prospect for F1, with prior tests at McLaren and interest from Red Bull.
However, the 25-year-old Californian has been hindered by the FIA’s superlicence requirements, falling short of the 40 points needed despite strong IndyCar performances. His move to F2, where top-three finishes yield sufficient points, is therefore a strategic bid to gain experience and eligibility.
“We’ve been fortunate to keep Colton at Andretti in the IndyCar team, and so now, he’s going to pursue that dream in Formula 1,” Towriss said on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast.
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“And to do that, he’s going to take a pretty big risk. He’s leaving IndyCar, he’s not going directly to Formula 1 – this is a test and development driver role – and so he’s going to be going into F2.
“He’s got to learn tracks, he’s got to learn tyres – tyres are a big part of that, very different from IndyCar from that standpoint. I couldn’t be more proud of Colton, to be willing to take that risk to pursue his dream.”
Proving His Worth
Towriss emphasized that Herta’s F1 aspirations hinge on performance, not guarantees.
“I’m confident Colton will get his shot, but he’s got to earn it, right?” he pointed out. “He’s taking that risk.
“I think people should really take note of and admire Colton for that bold move. He’s not entitled to the seat, he’s not guaranteed the seat from that standpoint. He’s going over to prove that he belongs in Formula 1.
“What I applaud most about him is his willingness to be uncomfortable. When you come to a fork in the road, the most comfortable thing he could have done was say, ‘I’m well paid, I’m going to stay in IndyCar and go try to achieve this next thing’, but he chose the unconventional path.
“He chose something that’s a very uncomfortable situation – there’s a lot of new things that are going to come at him. He’s going to grow tremendously, and he’s got a big opportunity in front of him.”
An F1 Near Miss in the Past
Herta nearly joined F1 before. In 2021, he tested at Sauber’s simulator during Andretti’s attempted takeover of the team.
“He went over to Switzerland, got on the simulator, and within an hour was faster than the two Formula 1 drivers with the team at that time,” Towriss revealed, referring to Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi.
That deal collapsed, and Red Bull’s interest in handing Herta a seat at AlphaTauri for 2022 was blocked by the FIA’s refusal to grant the young American a superlicence despite his IndyCar results.
Why Herta Fits Cadillac’s Vision
Now, with Cadillac joining F1, Towriss sees Herta as the leading American candidate for the team’s long-term future.
“He’s built up a natural body of work that not everybody knows about in Formula 1, in terms of some of the tests that he’s done from that standpoint, even to drawing interest from Red Bull later on from there,” Towriss said.
When asked why Herta is central to Cadillac’s plans, Towriss replied: “Colton, through the various tests we’ve talked about, has shown a high potential in a Formula 1-type car. He’s very good at high-commitment corners, he’s done very well on street, road-type courses.”
“Colton also adapts to new information very, very quickly, and his driving style has been adapted to doing a lot of complex things in the car. All of those are going to be skills that are needed in Formula 1.”
Herta’s F2 switch may be unconventional, but Towriss believes it is the bold step needed to finally bridge the gap from America’s premier open-wheel series to the pinnacle of world motorsport.
Read also: Cadillac names Herta as test driver for 2026 F1 debut
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