Herta ‘excited’ for new opportunity in F2 as preparations begin with Hitech

30 October 2025

Colton Herta’s preparations for his debut campaign in Formula 2 are underway with Hitech TGR, as he sets his sights on being competitive as quickly as possible.

The American driver was announced to be racing with the team in 2026 earlier this month, making the move over from IndyCar, where he had won nine races and achieved 19 podiums in seven seasons.

Having recently been named as a Test driver for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, Herta feels the move to F2 is an “important step” in his development.

“It's exciting,” said Herta on being announced as a Formula 2 driver. “I think it's a necessary step in what I want my progression to be as a racing driver, and hopefully as a Formula 1 driver - it's an important step.

“It's a new start, it's a fresh opportunity, it's something new to me, so it's exciting. But I think the main thing is whenever I am in the race car, I want to be competitive.

“That has to be the goal, to be competitive, and try to achieve that as quickly as possible. I think it would be foolish to sit here and think that I will be on the pace right away, that I will be on the pace and ready to win in my first race.

Herta will be joining Hitech TGR for his debut campaign in Formula 2

“I may be older, but speed-wise, these guys are just as fast as anybody out there. I definitely know the task at hand, I know it's going to be a tough one, but I look forward to it. I’m here to learn, here to drive and to hopefully be fast.”

To be competitive, Herta acknowledges he needed the right team, and in Hitech, he feels he has found just that.

The 26-year-old revealed that the decision on which team to race for came down to the results, and said he was impressed by the British team’s success not only in Formula 2, but in other categories.

“I think when we were looking at teams, myself and also with Cadillac, the biggest thing is it had to be results driven,” he revealed.

“I think Hitech checks those boxes as a professional outfit, and as you can see how this year is going and the past seasons, not only in F2 but also in Formula 3 and in F4. Basically, they seem to excel in everything and there is a reason for that.

“After having some meetings here, and getting to know people, the decision was made on its own. It was really simple to see that this is a professional organisation, and one that I feel will best prepare me to be ready for Formula 1.”

Herta also revealed that prior to making the move, he spoke to a few IndyCar drivers who had previously raced in Formula 2, just to get a better understanding of what to expect.

Herta revealed that he has been speaking to a few former F2 drivers in his preparations

“It's good conversations to have,” he said. “Just to understand that it is going to be different for me coming over for a whole bunch of reasons.

“But the racing mainly is what I need to be focused on, being fast in the race car and that's where the majority of the talk has been, on how to best prepare me before I hop in the race car.”

Part of what will be new for Herta is the shorter off seasons, as he noted how quickly the turnaround is from one campaign to the next for the teams.

As for the differences in the car, the 26-year-old was preparing to find out in the simulator for the first time, an opportunity he is thankful he gets the time to do, given that Hitech are in the middle of a tense battle for both the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championship.

“I think so far Hitech has been really gracious with their time for me,” Herta added. “You have to remember they are in contention for a Championship in Formula 2, and that needs to be their main focus, and I understand that.

“But they have been really gracious with their time during this break that F2 has, to take me under their wing, to get me prepped and going for the following year.

The American was thankful for Hitech's help at such a busy time in the season

“In IndyCar we are used to a pretty big off seasons, a lot of time to decompress and to look through things, and to have a clear notion of where we want to go the following year. You don't really get that in Formula 2.

“It's a pretty quick off season and a quick turnaround, and you're testing in the offseason as well, so really there is no off seasons for these guys and girls within the team. But they've been great with me, giving their time away, even though they need to spend most of it on winning the Championship.

“But it's early days. I just need to be understanding what I need to be doing, getting a feel on the sim for what the F2 car will feel like for when I hop into it for the first time.”

With his new team set and the 2026 calendar announced, Herta will be preparing to return to a few tracks that he raced at nearly a decade ago, such as Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Red Bull Ring, Monza and Barcelona.

The American driver says he is excited to be back racing at those circuits, but also to tackle a few that he has never visited before.

“I wouldn't say there is a track in particular that I am looking forward to,” he concluded. “I think there are some favourites that I had that I am excited to be back on, but there are also some new ones that look exciting. Just overall, excited to be here.”