That Formula 1 dream is a stubborn thing, and for Colton Herta, it is very much alive. As Speedcafe reports, the American driver has endured a difficult first season in Formula 2 after leaving IndyCar to join Hitech, sitting 19th in the standings with 26 points as he combines his campaign with test and development work for Cadillac.
Only a week ago, it seemed the door was firmly shut on another year in the feeder category when he stated he had no interest in a return. But things change quickly in this game, and Herta has now clarified that a second season has not been completely excluded. Explaining his earlier remarks, he noted that a lack of clear progression this year makes the prospect less appealing, especially given the stark contrast between his machinery in different environments.
On the F1 side of things, the pace has been genuinely strong. He has been doing a lot more work with the F1 team on the simulator, and he even completed a Testing of Previous Cars day on a Monday that he described as very strong. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, that underlying speed is just not translating to F2.
Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss had previously outlined expectations for a top-10 championship finish, a target that the current results have fallen short of. His strongest result remains fifth in the Barcelona sprint, and qualifying performances have unfortunately deteriorated as the season has progressed. The latest weekend in Azerbaijan brought a best result of ninth in the sprint race before finishes of 13th and 15th across the two feature races.
Discussions are ongoing with Cadillac regarding a role for next season, though no deal is in place yet. Whether that involves a reserve role, a test role, or figuring out what other series to race in to stay busy remains to be seen. Ultimately, his priority is still to reach F1 rather than simply extend his stay in the feeder category, and he believes he still has a chance of that in these next two years.
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