The 26 year old American will make his debut in Barcelona in June, he will replace Pérez or Bottas in the practice sessions, he competes in F2 with Hitech while waiting for a seat in the top category.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon expressed his anticipation for the practice program that Colton Herta will complete in the 2026 Formula 1 season: "Colton is a great talent, something he has not only shown with his impressive IndyCar record before joining us, but also with his solid start to the season in Formula 2," he declared.
"Completing the four FP1 sessions of our young drivers is the natural next step in his role as a test driver. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can bring in terms of development and focus," Lowdon added.
The 26 year old American will take part in four FP1 sessions this campaign, starting with the Barcelona Catalunya Grand Prix, which will be held from June 12 to 14, his other three outings will be confirmed later, Herta will replace either Sergio Pérez or Valtteri Bottas, the two main drivers of the American team, in those practice sessions.
"I'm looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Cadillac car for the first time. I'm looking forward to working side by side with the team in a full grand prix environment and I'm totally focused on learning from each outing. I hope I can contribute to the race weekend overall and help the team, Checo and Valtteri as much as possible," Herta stated.
This opportunity is part of a Formula 1 regulation that requires main drivers to skip two FP1 sessions each during the season to make way for a driver who has not contested more than two Grands Prix, Cadillac is taking advantage of this rule to give Herta track time, who ended a seven season stint in IndyCar to move to Europe and become a test driver for the American team.
All of this is part of Herta's pursuit of an eventual seat in Formula 1, in addition to his role as a test driver, the American competes with Hitech in Formula 2, where he has scored six points after just one race weekend, his medium term goal is to make the definitive jump to the top category.
Cadillac has had a relatively complicated start in F1, the team has not scored any points after the first three races of the 2026 season, the positive side is that it is ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors' championship, a team that so far has been the biggest disappointment of the year.
For the Americans, Herta's development through FP1 is part of a broader plan for growth and consolidation on the grid.