Colton Herta gets first taste of F2 cars; goes fastest in special test at Monza

IndyCar star Colton Herta got his first taste of Formula 2 machinery on Sunday, November 2. The American driver is set to join Hitech Grand Prix for the 2026 F2 season alongside his duties as a test driver for Cadillac F1.

Herta's voluntary move to take a step down from IndyCar to F2 comes as a part of realizing his F1 dream. At 25, he felt that this route was needed in what could be his last shot at racing in F1. Though Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss has emphasized in public that Colton Herta isn't guaranteed a seat with the team in 2027 or beyond, the American driver is taking his chances.

On Sunday, he was at Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix, testing an older-generation F2 car. Katayama, a Swiss professional track day organizer, organized the two-day test. There will be four test sessions of 45 minutes per group, with the cost of each car being €2,350 (~$2710).

Herta piloted the No. 32 Dallara F2 car for MM International Motorsport at the 3.6-mile Temple of Speed and set the fastest time of the day, finishing four-tenths ahead of anyone else.

Herta is expected to run on day two of the test on Monday as well. There were several other drivers at the test, including Christian Mansell, who was testing an F2 car for Trident. Mansell abruptly stepped away from racing this year before his F2 debut with Rodin Racing.

Katayama's website lists another two-day test involving F2 cars at the Red Bull Ring in Austria from November 11 to 12. After that, the organization has no professional test days involving F2 cars until February 2026 in Barcelona, which means Colton Herta could also make use of the upcoming two-day test at the Red Bull Ring.

Colton Herta names the 'nutty' F1 track that he would love to race on

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort - Source: Getty

Colton Herta has named the F1 track that he would love to race on in a recent appearance on the Stickers & Send It podcast, an IndyCar exclusive. The former Andretti Global driver shared his experience of racing at Circuit Zandvoort, which hosts the Dutch Grand Prix.

Colton Herta raced in Europe for a few years during his junior career. It was during his F3 days that he raced in Zandvoort once, which he found to be the perfect road course. When asked about the F1 track he would love to race on, he said [17:30 onwards]:

"I don't know if I'll get the chance to drive it, but I remember really loving, I did the Masters of Formula 3 one year in Zandvoort. I don't know if they still do that race, but I remember it being so cool in a Formula 3 car. It looks ridiculous, to be honest, with the F1 cars, how big they are around there."

"But man, as far as a track just to drive, that place was super special. It's almost like a street course, but you're going through the turns like 120-130 mph, and there's no runoff. It's a nutty track, it's awesome, it takes bravery and skill, and has every type of corner that you would want from a permanent road course," he added.

Colton Herta also named Spa, Silverstone, and Monza as the other tracks he finds special. While he will get to race on those three tracks, which are part of the 2026 F2 calendar, Zandvoort won't be a part of his season.