Colton Herta (Left) - Image Credit: Gary Mook/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Guenther Steiner (Right) - Image Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Colton Herta (Left) - Image Credit: Gary Mook/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Guenther Steiner (Right) - Image Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 20, 2026, 11:30 AM CUT
"They're no pushovers": Colton Herta handed blunt verdict on F1 pursuit by Guenther Steiner
Former F1 boss Guenther Steiner had some choice words to describe Colton Herta's rookie season in Formula 2. The former IndyCar driver has struggled in F2 in 2026, probably more than most expected.
Herta was a championship contender in IndyCar, finishing runner-up to Alex Palou in 2024. After a relatively subpar 2025 season, he left to pursue his F1 dream, and Cadillac, which signed him as a test driver, wanted him to 'earn' an F1 seat by going through F2 first.
However, the start of that journey with Hitech TGR in F2 has been far from smooth. Guenther Steiner commented on Herta's campaign, saying (via Motorsport.com):
"Colton Herta is struggling in Formula 2. He's won IndyCar races. You can't blame him for that either. The guys in Formula 2 are not bad. They're no pushovers."
Steiner made these comments as a comparative basis while talking about Mick Schumacher, who has taken the opposite path of going from F1 to IndyCar. The former Haas F1 driver is struggling in his IndyCar rookie season and is dead last in the standings after nine of 17 races.
As for Colton Herta, he stands 13th in the F2 standings after five races. His best result so far is a pair of seventh-place results in Australia and Canada.
But the highlight of his 2026 so far has to be his first F1 outing with Cadillac.
Colton Herta felt "proud" after his Cadillac F1 debut in Barcelona
Colton Herta made his F1 debut for Cadillac in Barcelona on June 12. He replaced Sergio Perez in Free Practice 1 and completed 27 laps around the 2.894-mile circuit in the MAC-26.
In an early run, he nearly lost control of the car in Turn 8, which proved to be tricky for a few drivers. But the rest of Herta's session was clean as he also embarked on a few multi-lap runs.
"It was very enjoyable," Herta said after the session (via Motorsport.com). "I think we got done what we wanted to get done, which was good. Hopefully, I provided some good data for them to look at, and just from a more personal side, it's very enjoyable to be a part of something like that, an official session."
"It means a lot to me, especially having a Cadillac badge as an American. I definitely felt very proud today," the former IndyCar driver added.
Colton Herta also thanked Sergio Perez for being an "open book" and a "huge help" before the session. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he was the slowest driver on the grid, around 4.3 seconds slower than leader George Russell and around 1.8 seconds slower than Cadillac teammate Valtteri Bottas.
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