F1 seat not guaranteed for Colton Herta as F2 switch “huge risk”, says Cadillac chief

Cadillac Formula 1 team CEO Dan Towriss has shared insight into why IndyCar Series driver Colton Herta is taking the “risk” of switching to Formula 2 as he sets his sights on a future F1 seat.

The American outfit, which is set to join F1 as the 11th team in 2026, announced last week the signing of veteran drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Herta was later confirmed as the team’s test driver, along with the news that he will be joining F2.

Herta has been linked to an F1 move on multiple occasions, with previous interest from McLaren and Red Bull.

As Herta looks to gather the required 40 superlicence points to enter F1 – he currently holds 35 – Towriss explained why the 25-year-old chose to move to F2.

“So I think for Colton, it’s really just his ability to learn quickly and adapt. I think he’s shown a lot of high promise for a Formula 1-type car. He’s done a lot more testing and a lot more sim time than what a lot of people know, and has really excelled every single time he’s been given an opportunity,” Towriss explained to Sky Sports F1. 

“And for Colton, this has always been a dream of his, to drive in Formula 1. But to do that, this is the path he had to take. He has to take a huge risk, a huge amount of risk. No seat is guaranteed to Colton. This is Formula 1.”

Towriss reiterated the importance of Herta gaining experience of the F2 circuits, multiple of which overlap with F1, as well as the tyres.

Dan Towriss, Andretti CEO

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

“And so he wants to learn tracks and tyres, show that respect to European open-wheel racing,” he continued. “The entitlement model from the US hasn’t worked out that well in the past. So we really want to build that body of work, the knowledge that’s necessary to see if he has what it takes to drive in Formula 1.”

He added: “I think probably even tyres over tracks. I think he adapts to tracks very quickly. A number of the tracks he would have raced on in a younger, earlier part of his career. And I think really the experience around tyres is going to be an important part for him.”

Photos from Italian GP – Practice