Cadillac Formula 1 test driver Colton Herta has opened up about leaving his career in the IndyCar Series to pursue his goal of driving in F1 one day, saying that the opportunity with the American outfit was too good to turn down.
The American driver, who is currently racing in Formula 2 alongside his test driver duties at Cadillac, had previously been involved in talks with Sauber and AlphaTauri, but nothing ever came to fruition.
But, years later, when Cadillac joined the F1 grid as the 11th team in 2026, Herta left behind his eight-year-long career in IndyCar. During his time in the American open-wheel series, he recorded nine wins, 19 podium finishes, 16 pole positions and a second-place championship finish in 2024.
“When I grew up as a kid, my first race, I was two weeks old, was an IndyCar race, right? And as soon as I grew up a little bit and learned more about other motorsport, my second interest was IMSA because my father was racing there in 2006/2007,” Herta explained on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, when asked if it was easy to walk away from his IndyCar career.
Colton Herta, Harding Steinbrenner Racing
“And so, I was really interested in those cars at that time. And then I learned about Formula 1 a little bit later, maybe nine or 10 years old and got addicted to that.
“But for me, I’m just a motorsports fan. There are so many things that I want to drive. At the top of the list, right there with IndyCar is Formula 1 for me on a personal level.
“So having this opportunity to try to get there and try to achieve that dream and that goal of being a Formula 1 driver, I saw it as a great opportunity. It’s very easy for me to say yes to.”
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