Colton Herta "super excited" for Cadillac FP1 debut as F1 dream edges closer

Colton Herta has shared his excitement for his upcoming outing in a Formula 1 practice session with Cadillac. 

The American team recently confirmed its free practice programme for the 26-year-old, who will take part in four FP1 sessions, starting with Barcelona.

Herta signed with Cadillac as its test driver for 2026 alongside a move to Formula 2 as he works towards his goal of racing in F1, leaving behind a successful career in the IndyCar Series.

"I mean, so much. It's always been my goal of coming over here and doing this and doing F2 is to prepare myself to be a Formula 1 driver the best I can, with Cadillac in mind," Herta explained on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast when asked how much he was looking forward to his first FP1 outing.

"So, it's cool to see that kind of coming together. My first taste of the car in Barcelona is going to be super special. That's a place that a lot of us drivers know really well.

Colton Herta, Hitech

Photo by: Getty Images

"Basically, all of winter testing in Formula 1 for a long time has taken place in Spain or Portugal. And when it's in Spain, it's usually at Barcelona. But people don't tell you that when it's cheaper to run in race cars in F4 and F3, even in F2, basically all your testing happens in Barcelona, 80% of it through the winter.

"So, it's a place that's somewhat familiar to me. Still, I haven't been back there since 2016, so 10 years ago, but the track hasn't changed too much."

The former IndyCar driver continued, reacting to the minor changes that have been made to the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya: "The last two corners, I'll take that. There are a lot of places that I haven't been to, and I have to learn 20 corners. So, if I have to relearn two corners, I'll take that. That's fine. 

"Some of the kerb profiling changes and some of the abrasions on the track or bumps might change here or there, but for the most part, it's a place that I'll be pretty comfortable with, I think. Looking forward to it. I'm super excited for it. It's going to be super cool."