Colton Herta to make US debut with Cadillac in Austin FP1

Colton Herta will make his first appearance in an F1 car in the United States when he takes over Sergio Perez’s Cadillac for first practice at the Austin Grand Prix this weekend. It will be Herta’s fourth FP1 outing with the team.

The reserve driver has already driven for Cadillac in Barcelona, Hungary and Italy. His Austin appearance gives him a first chance to run an F1 car on home soil, while continuing a programme that has introduced him to the team across several events. Herta made his Cadillac practice debut in Barcelona before later outings, including the team’s Hungarian Grand Prix FP1 session.

Herta returns to a track tied to his IndyCar breakthrough

The Austin circuit is familiar territory for Herta. He won his first IndyCar race there in 2019 while driving for Harding Steinbrenner Racing, then added a second victory later that year at Laguna Seca.

Herta has described the chance to drive Cadillac’s MAC-26 in front of American fans as a special opportunity. He also sees the F1 run at the circuit where he secured that first IndyCar win as a full-circle moment.

The American said his previous FP1 runs had helped him establish a rhythm with the team. His focus for Friday morning is to complete the planned test programme cleanly, collect useful setup data for the engineers and give Perez feedback when he returns to the car.

Herta will be the first American in a US F1 session since 2023

Herta will be the first American to take part in an official F1 session in the United States since Logan Sargeant drove for Williams in 2023. Sargeant finished 10th in that race, earning the only point of his F1 career.

For Cadillac, the session offers another opportunity to evaluate Herta in its car, this time at a venue where he has already achieved a significant result in another category. Herta’s task is to deliver the team’s Friday programme and return the car to Perez with feedback that can support the rest of the weekend.