Colton Herta praised for chasing 'childhood dream' in F1 seat pursuit

Current IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood has praised Colton Herta for chasing his “childhood dream” by returning to Europe in pursuit of a Formula 1 seat.

After seven seasons competing in IndyCar, Herta has taken the huge gamble of leaving the North American single-seater series for one final attempt at landing an F1 drive.

Herta’s current challenge is his lack of super licence points, as he does not yet have the required total to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport.

As a result, in addition to being Cadillac F1’s test driver, the 25-year-old will compete this year in Formula 2 with Hitech TGR.

To be eligible for a 2027 F1 seat, the American driver needs to secure six super licence points, which can be achieved by finishing the championship in the top eight.

Cadillac is heavily supporting Herta’s push to become an F1 driver, with Kirkwood, his former IndyCar team-mate, expressing incredible pride in him for chasing his dreams.

Discussing his thoughts on Herta's move to F2, Kirkwood told RacingNews365 during an interview: "I’m proud of him for making that leap — it’s not easy. 

"I can’t say that I would do the exact same thing, because I’m now 27 years old, but it’s going to be extremely interesting to watch his progression in the series. 

"I don’t think it’s anything new for him, being in F2 or racing in Europe, because he’s raced F3 before. But him taking that leap now is something that takes a lot of courage, and I think we’re all proud of him here in the US for what he’s done.

"He’s obviously shown a passion for F1 since he was a child, and he continued to show that while racing in IndyCar. 

"So the fact that he’s now able to do it and has a shot at going after his childhood dream is really cool — and it’s great that it’s happening now."