Herta pumped up for ‘special’ FP1 outing at COTA

Colton Herta is eagerly looking forward to driving in the opening session of practice at the U.S. Grand Prix, as he prepares to make his latest appearance for Cadillac in Formula 1.

This year’s race iat Circuit of The Americas does not feature the Sprint format, giving teams three practice sessions before qualifying and opening up more opportunities for FP1 outings for rookies. Herta has already driven in Barcelona, Budapest and Monza – although the latter was cut short due to a reliability issue – and now gets to appear at a home track where he took his first IndyCar victory as an 18-year-old.

“Driving the MAC-26 in front of the American fans at COTA is going to be special,” Herta said. “I have great memories at this track – winning my first IndyCar race here back in 2019 was a huge moment in my career, so stepping into an F1 car on this layout feels like coming full circle.

“I’ve built up a good rhythm with the team through my previous FP1 runs in Barcelona, Budapest and Monza, so my goal for Friday morning is straightforward: execute the test program cleanly, help the engineers gather good data on the setup, and hand the car back to Checo [Perez] with some useful feedback to support the team for the rest of the weekend.”

Team principal Marcin Budkowski says Herta’s previous experience of the track through IndyCar should stand the 26-year-old in good stead, given his limited running at the majority of other F1 venues.

“Bringing the Cadillac Formula 1 Team to the Circuit of The Americas for our second home race of the season is a huge moment for everyone across our facilities in Indianapolis, Silverstone and Charlotte,” Budkowski said. “Following a solid weekend in Singapore, where both cars finished after a tough fight, coming to America gives the whole team a boost.

“COTA is a fantastic facility and challenge – the high-speed sweeping section in Sector 1 and the tight, low-speed turns at the end of the lap are a tricky for car setup, and the bumps always add an extra dimension. We are looking forward to having Colton back in the car for FP1 on Friday, and we also plan to bring some small floor and cooling upgrades for evaluation. Colton knows this circuit very well from his IndyCar career, so his feedback will be valuable as we establish our baseline for the weekend.”