A 2026 racing season that was already set to be a pivotal one in Colton Herta's career has just got bigger - with an additional Cadillac programme added to his schedule.
Having decided to step away from IndyCar, where he won nine races and finished runner-up overall in 2024, to pursue his dream of racing in Formula 1, next year Herta will serve as Cadillac test driver - a role that's being supplemented with a campaign in Formula 2 with Hitech as he aims to secure the superlicence points required to race in F1.
And on Tuesday it was announced that the 25-year-old will also take part in the three IMSA SportsCar Championship races for Cadillac in 2026.
Herta's 2026 racing schedule
Herta's 2026 season was supposed to revolve around 14 F2 rounds spread between March 6 and December 8, not counting pre-season testing. He is expected to get his first taste of the series during tests at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit on December 10-12, immediately following the final round of the 2025 season - in which Hitech remains in contention for both the teams' and drivers' titles.
But next year, between his first two F2 weekends in Melbourne (March 6-8) and Bahrain (April 10-12), Herta will return to the US to contest the Sebring 12 Hours, behind - of course - the wheel of a Cadillac.
Cadillac revealed that Herta will compete in the three biggest IMSA endurance events: the Daytona 24 Hours (January 24-25), the Sebring 12 Hours (March 21), and Petit Le Mans (October 3) with a V-Series.R entered by Wayne Taylor Racing.
"Super excited to join Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing for the endurance rounds next year," Herta said. "We had some success last time I was with the team, and I hope to continue that."
Herta will reunite with Wayne Taylor Racing team-mates Jordan Taylor and Louis Delétraz, the same crew with whom he competed in the three endurance events in 2024 in an Acura ARX-06. The trio notably won at Sebring and finished third at Daytona.
"Jordan and Louis are some of the best drivers in the business, and it’s a pleasure to join them on this adventure," Herta added.
"I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Cadillac’s naturally aspirated engine. Daytona can’t come soon enough."
Herta is undoubtedly a strong addition to Wayne Taylor Racing, having impressed in every endurance outing. He already has substantial experience, including five race starts at the Daytona 24 Hours, with a GTLM victory on his first outing in 2019 aboard a BMW M8 GT2 and an LMP2 win in 2022 with Dragonspeed.
This dual programme inevitably draws comparisons to Mick Schumacher, who was at one point set to become Cadillac's third driver in F1 while racing in the World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Team Jota - though Schumacher looks set to ultimately pivot towards IndyCar, the very series Herta is leaving behind.
Smart move or overkill?
Herta's three IMSA outings are unlikely to hurt his development and will help him maintain race fitness. There are six months between the final round of the 2025 IndyCar season that took place at Nashville on August 31 and the 2026 F2 season opener in Melbourne next March.
The endurance schedule will help Herta stay sharp, including three days of pre-Daytona testing during the so-called 'Roar before the 24', plus the IMSA sanctioned test from November 14-16, not to mention potential private testing sessions.
Later in the year, the F2 calendar will also feature a two-month break between round 12 in Baku (September 25-27) and round 13 at Lusail (November 27-29), during which Herta will contest the 29th edition of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on. These three IMSA races will not overload his schedule, though he will also have significant obligations with the Cadillac's F1 team.
F1 test drivers and endurance racing
By taking part in three IMSA events, Herta continues a long-standing tradition of F1 test or reserve drivers competing in endurance racing.
In 2025 alone, notable examples include Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari F1 and Ferrari WEC), Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin F1 and Cadillac IMSA), Stoffel Vandoorne (Aston Martin F1 and Peugeot WEC), Frederik Vesti (Mercedes F1 and Cadillac IMSA), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas F1 and Toyota WEC), and Kevin Magnussen (Haas F1 and BMW WEC).
Will Stevens (Cadillac) and Nyck de Vries also serve as simulator drivers for McLaren, while Sébastien Buemi continues in that role for Red Bull Racing while racing for Toyota in WEC. Daniel Juncadella, set to race a Genesis Hypercar next year after competing with Corvette this year, also works as a simulator driver for Aston Martin F1.
It's not the first time an F2 driver has made parallel endurance appearances either.
Ritomo Miyata did so last year, while Juan-Manuel Correa followed a similar path in 2022 and 2023, illustrating a growing trend of young single-seater talents gaining experience in endurance racing.
