Cadillac defends Herta's tricky F2 debut as learning process over results

Cadillac Formula 1 team principal Graeme Lowdon has thrown his full support behind Colton Herta’s challenging Formula 2 debut, insisting the American is progressing exactly as planned despite modest results. Herta, who left IndyCar to join Hitech in F2 this year as part of his bid to reach F1 with Cadillac, sits 12th in the standings after four rounds with a best qualifying of 14th. Lowdon says the mission was never about instant podiums; rather, it is a deliberate acclimatisation to European racing, Pirelli tyres and unfamiliar circuits.

Why it matters:

• Herta’s F2 stint is a proving ground for whether IndyCar stars can successfully transition to F1’s feeder ladder. With Cadillac joining the grid in 2026, the team needs drivers who understand complex tyre management and race-weekend rhythm, not just raw one-lap speed.
• Lowdon’s public backing signals that Cadillac is playing the long game. In a series where final standings often make or break a driver’s market value, the team is betting on process and patience over immediate points.

The details:

• After qualifying 14th, 14th, 19th and 14th across the opening rounds in Melbourne, Miami, Montreal and Monaco, Herta has only managed lower-points finishes in feature races—a stark contrast to the 15 road-course poles he claimed in IndyCar.
• Lowdon said Herta entered the series “under no illusion” about the difficulty, armed with a checklist focused on tyre behaviour, new tracks and weekend structure rather than outright dominance.
• FP1 priority: Lowdon stressed that with Cadillac’s operation entirely brand new, delivering clean data and executing specific run plans in practice sessions outweighs chasing lap times on the leaderboard.
• The team pointed to Oliver Bearman’s 2023 F2 season—finishing 12th yet still graduating to F1—as evidence that championship position is not the only benchmark for readiness.

What's next:

• Herta will continue balancing his F2 programme with Cadillac simulator work and FP1 sessions, giving engineers a direct read on his development.
• If he keeps ticking off the team’s internal objectives, he could mirror Bearman’s path and earn a legitimate shot at F1 even without a front-running F2 standing, solidifying his case as Cadillac’s homegrown prospect.