Colton Herta's aspirations to become a Formula One driver have recently taken a big hit.
American racing driver Colton Herta recently admitted that he's not interested anymore in returning to Formula 2 in 2027. It has been a mighty struggle for the former IndyCar star, as he currently finds himself P19 in the F2 standings, having scored only 26 points for Hitech Grand Prix.
For comparison, his Hitech teammate, Ritomo Miyata, already has 70 points to his name. While Miyata has been in F2 longer, it's still a disappointing comparison for the 26-year-old Herta, who's supposed to be on a pathway to F1, the most coveted seat in motorsport.
Herta made a name in IndyCar in 2019, winning at the Circuit of the Americas and becoming the youngest winner in IndyCar history. He was very close to the championship in 2024, as he only trailed champion Alex Palou by 31 points.
A very strong driver in the IndyCar series, Herta wanted to get out of his comfort zone and try his hand at F1. But he has been treading murky waters.
How it went wrong first in 2022
Herta's successful rookie year in IndyCar pegged him as a "prodigy" in motor racing. In 2022, Herta was even surprised by reports saying that Red Bull F1, particularly AlphaTauri (currently Racing Bulls), was interested in him.
At that time, two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso announced that he was moving from Alpine to Aston Martin. It opened up a seat in Alpine, where then AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly was linked. This led to speculation that AlphaTauri was looking at Herta's potential and how he would do in an F1 car.
However, it turned out that Herta didn't have enough FIA Super Licence points. For a driver trying to reach F1, the Super Licence is the final racing credential they need.
Red Bull waited to see if the FIA would give Herta a special dispensation, but they didn't.
Taking the risk of moving to F2
With American outfit Cadillac entering F1 in 2026, it opened up a golden opportunity for an American driver like Herta. He took the risk of leaving his top seat in IndyCar and moving to F2. Cadillac boss Dan Towriss said it's a "huge risk" Herta must take.
However, Herta struggled to score points in F2, and a horrible weekend at Monza capped it off. He crashed during F2 practice at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday.
That same day, he subbed in for Sergio Perez in Cadillac for Free Practice 1. Herta only completed five laps before retiring the car due to a hydraulic problem.
The next weekend at Madrid, he crashed out of qualifying at the new Madring circuit. Herta withdrew from both feature races at the Spanish GP.
What's next for Herta?
Even Herta said that he's unsure what he'll do next, other than deciding to leave F2 for good next year. He might be on his way back to the United States to return to IndyCar, although seats at the bigger teams there are already mostly filled.
He might still get his remaining Super Licence points with a late push, granted that Cadillac gives him more practice sessions. But the F1 thread is getting thinner by the day for the American driver.
