Colton Herta explains how 'piggyback' routine is aiding his F1 bid

Colton Herta has explained how racing for Hitech in Formula 2 while being based at Cadillac's Silverstone facility is sharpening his preparations for a potential F1 seat.

The American, who doubles as Cadillac's official test driver, moved into F2 this season specifically to close the gap on the 40 superlicence points required to race in Formula 1.

Whilst he did not achieve the results required to earn his superlicence through his championship position, he sits in 19th place with 26 points, with two rounds remaining.

However, through six FP1 outings for Cadillac, Herta earned enough points to finally qualify for the licence, with his run in Sao Paulo bringing him to his 40th point - meaning he can legally race in F1 in 2027, should Cadillac opt to promote him. 

Herta's rookie F2 campaign with Hitech, however, has fallen well short of the top-10 finish in the standings that Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss had set as a target, and the 26-year-old has indicated he has no appetite for a second season in the category.

But the 2026 programme was never only about results. Hitech's Silverstone base sits close to Cadillac's own facility at Silverstone, and Herta has used that proximity to move between the two outfits throughout the year.

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Herta - 'You're noticed'

Asked whether the switch from F2 to F1 remained the right career route, Herta pointed to the practical benefits of racing on the same weekends and circuits as the sport he is targeting.

"There are a lot of positives to the series," he said, speaking to the media, including RacingNews365, following his FP1 outing at the Circuit of the Americas at the United States Grand Prix.

"You run on the same race weekends, so you kind of understand the flow of what the sessions look like."

Jokingly, he then added: "What I've experienced this year, you get to understand how bad traffic is to Formula 1 races and how early and late you have to leave."

Returning to the serious nature of the topic, he continued: "But I think it's important because you're here and you're noticed.

"You're in the eyes of the Formula 1 teams, and they see first-hand what you can do. You're running on the same race tracks that you will be racing on, which is a big one, and it's the main reason why I came over to do it.

"You're just immersed in it. I live in the UK, I'm in the shop every day [at Hitech], and they're right next to the F1 shop, so I can kind of piggyback back and forth, and I think it's important from that aspect.

"It makes the transition easier than coming from, say, IndyCar, sports cars, or whatever. So there are positives."

Sergio Perez has been retained by Cadillac, but Valtteri Bottas's seat still has not been confirmed, with Herta eyeing up the position, with Cadillac long making clear that fielding an American driver is a priority - but whether it is Herta remains an open question.