Colton Herta’s Formula 2 campaign has deteriorated significantly, with his weekend at Monza serving as the starkest illustration of his struggles. The former IndyCar frontrunner joined the Cadillac Formula 1 team as a test and development driver for 2026 and moved to F2 to prepare for a potential graduation to the world championship. However, the transition has proven difficult. Lacking experience with Pirelli tires and unfamiliar with the circuits, Herta sits a disappointing 17th in the standings after 10 rounds.
Qualifying Woes and Practice Crash at Monza
Over the course of the season, the Hitech GP driver has qualified inside the top 12 only once. Monza marked a new low, with Herta qualifying 20th, more than a second off the pace. The difficulties extended beyond raw speed. During the sole F2 practice session, he crashed after putting two wheels in the gravel at the exit of Lesmo 2, spinning into the inside wall.
Cadillac FP1 Outing Cut Short by Mechanical Issue
Herta then participated in Formula 1 FP1 for Cadillac to fulfill the team’s rookie running requirements. His session ended prematurely after just one push lap when the MAC-26 suffered a suspected hydraulic failure. The 20th-place result in F2 qualifying later that day compounded a troubled Friday.
Herta Feels “More Comfortable” in F1 Machinery
This was Herta’s third FP1 appearance, and he reported feeling “a lot more” comfortable in the Cadillac. He explained the progression:
“You know, just kind of having that little bit of knowledge about what the car wants, or what the car needs, how it wants to be driven,” he explained.
“All these cars have tiny differences that make them click. I’m driving and trying to find that, so having a bit more knowledge of what the car likes to do is a big help, it makes me feel more comfortable.
When you only have an hour, it seems like, literally when you’re inside the car and everything’s happening, everything’s happening so quick. It seems like you’re in there for five minutes, so you get out and you’re instantly like, ‘Oh I should have done this’ or ‘I should have done that’.
I think everybody would say if they get a second chance at anything when they’re driving they would do better, and for sure for me it probably would have been a pretty big step.”
Weekend Ends with Early Feature Race Exit
Herta recovered to 15th place in Saturday’s sprint race, but his feature race ended on lap 11 after he beached the car in the gravel at the exit of Parabolica while running 21st.
Championship Hopes Effectively Over
As a result, Herta remains stuck on 26 points with just one top-12 finish in the last 10 races. He trails championship leader Nikola Tsolov by 151 points with only 156 points available across the final four rounds, effectively eliminating him from title contention. Even a top-10 finish in the standings now appears a tall order, sitting 37 points adrift.
Uncertain Path to a 2027 F1 Seat
Regarding his Formula 1 ambitions, Herta remained direct:
“What I want to do is I want to get to Formula 1 and I want to get there as fast as possible,” Herta said. “How realistic that is, I have yet to be told or know.”
Given the current trajectory, a 2027 F1 drive looks increasingly unlikely.
