Colton Herta withdraws from Madrid Formula 2 Sprint Race after regulation breach

Colton Herta will not take part in Saturday’s Formula 2 Sprint Race in Madrid after Hitech confirmed his withdrawal from the event.

The decision follows a sporting regulations breach involving Car 4. According to the official decision, the car was worked on during the Restricted Period without an approved exception. That constitutes a breach of Article 21.6 a of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations.

Herta had initially remained eligible to start, but only from the pit lane. Under Article 37.2, Car 4 was set to begin the Sprint Race from there rather than take its place on the starting grid. Hitech has now confirmed that the car will not participate at all.

The latest development adds another complication to Herta’s Madrid weekend. As reported in Herta’s Formula 2 future comes under pressure, his wider situation in the championship has already attracted attention. The immediate sporting consequence, however, is clear: he will be absent when the Sprint Race begins.

Grid reshuffle confirmed

Herta’s withdrawal also changes the order for the rest of the field. Drivers who were scheduled to start behind Car 4 will each move up one position on the grid.

That adjustment ensures the starting order reflects Hitech’s decision not to run the car. While the original penalty would have placed Car 4 at the pit-lane exit, its withdrawal removes it from the Sprint Race formation altogether.

What the decision means

The case highlights the importance of the Restricted Period in Formula 2. Once the team’s work on Car 4 was deemed to have taken place without an approved exception, the regulations prescribed a pit-lane start. Hitech’s subsequent confirmation of Herta’s withdrawal means the penalty will not be exercised on track, but the grid will still be directly affected.

For the drivers behind Car 4, the change is positive in practical terms: each will inherit one place before the race gets under way. For Herta and Hitech, meanwhile, Saturday’s Sprint Race ends before the car reaches the grid.