Ahead of the 2026 IndyCar season that starts this weekend at St. Pete, Marcus Ericsson has given his thoughts on Colton Herta joining the F2 grid. He fully believes his former stablemate can make it into F1.
After missing out on gaining the required FIA Superlicence points for a possible F1 seat at Cadillac, the 25-year-old has joined Hitech in the F2 championship for 2026.
Marcus Ericsson believes Colton Herta good enough to do well in F2 and make it to F1
One man who is well-placed to give insight on Colton Herta and his ability is former GP2 and F1 driver, and most importantly, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson. The Swedish star was teammates with the American driver for two seasons at the Andretti IndyCar squad.
In 2024, Colton Herta finished 2nd in the championship. Although he fell short of the ultimate crown in his time in IndyCar, his raw speed and natural talent was unquestionable. He is the categories youngest ever race winner too.
Asked by Pit Debrief during a press conference attended my media oultets ahead of St. Pete if he had any advice for Colton Herta and his journey across the other side of the Atlantic, Marcus Ericsson said he was curious to see how the American fares. He also talked about his immense talent.
“I don’t know about advice.
“I’m very curious to see how it goes. I’ve been teammates now the last two years with Colton. I know how talented and how good as a driver he is.
“There is no doubt in my mind that he has the talent to succeed in F2 and ultimately in Formula 1. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
Very different tyres and timing and a big factor
As Juan Manuel Correa and Enzo Fittipaldi previously explained to Pit Debrief during Indy NXT content days, the Swede says Herta getting his head around the tricky and very different Pirelli tyres will be a huge factor in how he gets on. The Floridian had three days of testing earlier this month in Barcelona. He also did a couple of days in Abu Dhabi last December ahead of the 2026 season.
Should Colton Herta succeed and have a very good year in F2 by winning the championship, the question of where he goes for 2027 remains unknown. While he is a test driver for Cadillac, established race winners Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez are their drivers for the 2026 F1 season.
Ericsson believes timing is key regarding Herta’s hopes of making it into Formula 1.
“It’s more a question about getting used to the cars, the tracks over there. The tyres are very different to what we have [Firestone] in IndyCar. I think that’s some of the things where he needs to adapt and learn.
“Again, I think from what I’ve seen from Colton, I’m sure he will do that. The question is more does it take a year, two years, what’s the timeline.
“Again, with Formula 1, it’s all about timing, as well, timing your next move and all those things.
“Yeah, it’s going to be really cool to see and watch and follow. I wish him all the best.”
