Colton Herta's shock switch from IndyCar to Formula 1's primary feeder series Formula 2 for 2026 is a "quite courageous" move that will nevertheless prove very difficult, according to his racing contemporaries.
Nine-time IndyCar race winner Herta is leaving his plum Andretti seat behind him for a shock switch to a yet-to-be-confirmed F2 team as part of his ambition to race in F1 with Cadillac.
Despite Herta's experience and proven track record as one of IndyCar's top drivers, it is a bold move given how tough F2 is to crack - something its leading 2025 drivers have acknowledged.
Current F2 championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli called it "a great challenge for him to adapt to a completely different car, also on tracks that he's probably never driven".
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad said Herta's move was "amazing for motorsport", but highlighted the challenge that Herta is facing.
"There's not really that much of a link. I think IndyCar in the US is outside of the F1, F2, F3 ladder, so I think it's amazing from him and quite courageous, that he's decided to make the move,” Lindblad explained.
"So think it's amazing for the championship and for the publicity of the sport. But I think it will be a difficult step.
"Like Leo [Fornaroli] said, it's probably going to be all new tracks. It's not an easy car to drive. I can imagine it's quite different to the IndyCar.
"So it's hard for us to really say now; for sure it will be a challenge, but he's very highly regarded. He's done a very good job in the US. So it will be exciting to see."
AIX Racing driver Joshua Dürksen said he would "really love it" to happen as it's going "to be a great comparison as well for the motorsport world to see what an IndyCar driver can do in F2 because I think both categories are extremely competitive".
He continued: "Of course, it will be very different for him because it's new tracks and a very different car to drive.
"And I think also just the environment will be very different for him.
"But to be honest, I would love him to do the move to F2. I think we, as F2 drivers, we could also learn a lot from him."
Herta has some experience of European circuits, having raced in what was MSA Formula (now British F4) alongside Lando Norris in 2015 and EuroFormula Open one year later, meaning he's raced at current F2 circuits Silverstone, the Red Bull Ring, the Hungaroring, Spa, Monza, and Barcelona, albeit almost a decade ago.
His 2015 MSA Formula team-mate and title rival Lando Norris rates Herta highly and said he believes he has what is to takes to succeed in F1, let alone F2.
"How difficult is it? Probably not difficult for him because he's good at jumping [in] all different types of cars," Norris said at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
"That's something he's done his whole life. He's an extremely talented driver and a guy I've enjoyed a lot growing up with in 2015.
"[It's] not difficult because I think he's skilled enough to jump in anything and be quick. But being one of the best in Formula 1 is what's difficult.
"If that's still his goal, if his goal is still to not just come in as a test driver but into the next few years to become a Formula 1 driver and a race driver then of course it gets tricky.
"But he's easily capable of potentially being in Formula 1 and I look forward to hopefully seeing him here."
The biggest challenge
The biggest challenge facing Herta, as well as the unfamiliar circuits, will be getting the most out of the capricious Pirelli rubber used in F2.
Most drivers arrive in F2 having already experienced Pirellis in Formula 3 but Herta has become used to a very different way of working the Firestone tyres in IndyCar.
"I don't know the specifics of how it works at IndyCar, but when you look at a qualifying or a race, it seems like they're really going for it," Haas F1 driver Ollie Bearman, who raced in F2 for two seasons, said.
"So I hope he's enjoyed that way of racing, and over here it's a bit different. Also, having grown up racing cars in Europe, you're used to the fact that you do a single push lap and then you cool the tyres down straight away, and that's just how it is, for better or for worse.
"It'll be interesting and for me it was a step from Formula 4 to Formula 3 where you went from pushing maybe five or six laps in a row to then just pushing one lap. But then you need to, it's tough to get all of the performance out of one lap because you have less rhythm and less consecutive laps, so it's tough.
"But he's clearly a very good driver, so I'm sure he'll get around it in no time."
A tough series to crack
While Herta will be able to top up his F1 superlicence points tally with free practice outings, a healthy dose of points from a strong top 10 finish in F2 wouldn't go amiss.
The top three in F2 all instantly receive the 40 points required for an F1 superlicence - Herta will be on 35 when he switches - with points all the way down to the 10th-place championship finisher.
But finishing inside the top 10 is no easy feat; just look at a list of those drivers who have finished at least one season outside the top 10 in F2 since 2018.
Drivers who have finished outside the top 10 in F2
Dennis Hauger, 2025 Indy NXT champion (11th in 2024*)
Ollie Bearman, Haas F1 driver (12th in 2024*)
Ritomo Miyata, Super Formula and Super GT champion (19th in 2024)
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls F1 driver (14th in 2023)
Arthur Leclerc, Ferrari F1 test driver (15th in 2023)
Marcus Armstrong, IndyCar podium finisher (13th x3 2020-22)
Christian Lundgaard, IndyCar race winner (12th in 2021)
Jack Aitken, one-time F1 starter, DTM race winner (11th in 2018, 14th in 2020**)
Dan Ticktum, Formula E race winner (11th in 2020)
Callum Ilott, IndyCar driver, WEC race winner (11th in 2019)
Mick Schumacher, Haas F1 driver 2021-22 (12th in 2019)
Nikita Mazepin, Haas F1 driver 2021 (18th in 2019)
Tadasuke Makino, Super GT champion (13th in 2018)
Max Guenther, Formula E race winner (14th in 2018)
Nirei Fukuzumi, Super GT runner-up x2 (17th in 2018)
*missed two rounds
**missed one round
So there's every chance Herta will come to F2 and struggle to make the top 10, and it will be zero reflection on his ability or skill.
He at least has Cadillac closely in his corner, who will be able to look beyond the results on paper.
Plus, he’ll have an extensive F1 testing programme for Cadillac to evaluate his F1 credentials with its race drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez two very good benchmarks.
After all, it’s that private F1 testing that may prove more important than his actual F2 results, if his superlicence points situation can be worked around.
When Bearman was asked whether F1 testing or his F2 programme was more important, his answer was convincingly telling: "F1 testing, by far and away. No, without a doubt."
Where Herta might end up
Jack Benyon
Herta has spoken of being relieved to get news of his F2 switch out in the open. But while's he's been thinking about a painstaking career move, the wheels are well in motion in his new championship's driver market.
The fight for top seats in F2 is as strong as ever, in part down to it being the only real route to F1, which is why Herta is coming - and that means competition.
There were vital meetings held last weekend at Monza regarding Herta's future. He looks most likely to sign for Rodin as things stand, but there are two other linked options: Hitech appears to be in with a chance, while Prema Racing has emerged as an outside contender.
The final decision won't take long.
Rodin is no longer the Carlin entity it's morphed from, but some employees do remain from that team, which is where Herta raced in MSA Formula and BRDC British F3. That would make it a fitting reunion, but you could argue the team doesn't quite have the recent pedigree of a Hitech or a Prema.
