Cadillac F1 has officially confirmed the integration of Colton Herta into its testing program, with four EL1 sessions planned during the 2026 season, starting with the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
Read more Doriane Pin in Formula 1: a symbolic test, but futile… until proven otherwise!
The American driver has already had his seat molded at the Silverstone factory (photo above) and will have his baptism of fire behind the wheel of the Cadillac MAC26 on the Barcelona circuit in June, a track he knows well, thus marking his first official Formula 1 weekend appearance.
This program is part of a classic approach to utilizing mandatory sessions reserved for young drivers, but it is strategically important for Cadillac.
F2 Experience and F1 Mileage
The 26-year-old Californian, competing in Formula 2 with Hitech TGR, maintains his priority on this championship while also serving as an F1 test driver, which allows him to accumulate relevant mileage in a real environment.
With a solid career in IndyCar and a promising start in F2, marked by points from the opening round in Melbourne, Herta approaches this opportunity with ambition: « I’m eager to get behind the wheel of the Cadillac for the first time. I look forward to working with the team in a Grand Prix environment and making the most of each session. I hope to contribute to the race weekend and help the team, Checo and Valtteri as much as possible. »
Beyond the experience, these four sessions represent a key element of Cadillac’s strategy to develop American talent at the highest level of motorsport. Team Principal Graeme Lowdon praised the versatility and progress of the driver: « Colton is a top talent. He has demonstrated this through his career in IndyCar, but also through his solid start in Formula 2. Entrusting him with our four sessions reserved for young drivers is a logical next step, and I am curious to see what he can bring in terms of development. »
Clear Career Path
The same message came from CEO Dan Towriss, a long-time mentor of the driver, who emphasized the formative value of these sessions: « Colton has earned this opportunity. These sessions are valuable for integrating into the team, progressing on and off track, and understanding the inner workings of a Grand Prix weekend. »
Read more VAR could turn to IndyCar failing a twelfth team in F1
Beyond pure driving, they allow Herta to understand internal processes, engineer management, and the specific constraints of a Formula 1 weekend, an often underestimated but crucial aspect for a potential future full-time seat.
These EL1 sessions represent less a simple one-off opportunity than a true operational test. Cadillac will evaluate both Herta’s intrinsic speed and his ability to integrate into a demanding technical environment, with the backdrop of a possible medium-term rise, first as a reserve driver and then potentially as a full-time driver.
Juggling F1 and F2
Given that his first EL1 participation will take place during a Formula 2 weekend in Barcelona, Herta explains that he plans to draw on the experience of last year’s Hitech drivers, who went through a similar situation, to better understand the challenges of such a sequence.
« I’m not worried, he stated. I think the advantage of being with Hitech is that they already have quite a bit of experience with this. Last year, Dino Beganovic did an EL1 for Ferrari and Luke Browning did a few with Williams. So their engineers and team understand the situation well.»
« Then, we’ll have to work closely with the people here at Cadillac, because that’s going to be essential, he emphasized. We go directly from F2 practice to the F1 car for the EL1 session, then maybe 30 to 40 minutes later, we immediately get back into the F2 for qualifying. So there’s a huge speed difference that needs to be adapted to. I know it will be difficult, very demanding, but I’ve seen some succeed, and others much less so. »
Before his F1 debut, the American driver will also participate in the Formula 2 rounds held during the Miami Grand Prix, a great opportunity to showcase himself at home in front of his public, as well as in Montreal two weeks later, two new circuits for all competitors.
Read more Niels Wittich revisits the 2021 Abu Dhabi final: Michael Masi fell into a trap