Home crowd can once again cheer for an American driver at F1 US Grand Prix
Photo: Race Pictures
Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Fans at the United States Grand Prix will have the chance to cheer on an American driver this weekend. Colton Herta will drive for Cadillac during the first free practice session.
Herta is set for another FP1 outing with Cadillac this weekend. The American driver, who also competes in Formula 2 this season, has already completed FP1 sessions in Barcelona, Hungary, and Italy. This time, he will take over Sergio Perez's car.
This will be the first time an American has driven a Formula 1 car on home soil since Logan Sargeant did so in 2023.
Herta looks forward to FP1 session at home Grand Prix
Herta knows what it's like to win at the Circuit of the Americas. In 2019, he won his first IndyCar race at this track, and became the youngest winner in the competition's history.
ADVERTISEMENT
Looking ahead to once again driving a Formula 1 car, Herta said: "Driving the MAC-26 in front of the American fans at COTA is going to be special. I have great memories at this track – winning my first IndyCar race here back in 2019 was a huge moment in my career, so stepping into an F1 car on this layout feels like coming full circle.
Colton Herta - Photo: Race Pictures
"I’ve built up a good rhythm with the team through my previous FP1 runs in Barcelona, Budapest, and Monza, so my goal for Friday morning is straightforward: execute the test program cleanly, help the engineers gather good data on the setup, and hand the car back to Checo with some useful feedback to support the team for the rest of the weekend," he explained.
Team principal Marcin Budkowski said: "Bringing the Cadillac Formula 1 Team to the Circuit of The Americas for our second home race of the season is a huge moment for everyone across our facilities in Indianapolis, Silverstone, and Charlotte. Following a solid weekend in Singapore, where both cars finished after a tough fight, coming to America gives the whole team a boost.
"COTA is a fantastic facility and challenge – the high-speed sweeping section in Sector 1 and the tight, low-speed turns at the end of the lap are a tricky for car setup, and the bumps always add an extra dimension. We are looking forward to having Colton back in the car for FP1 on Friday, and we also plan to bring some small floor and cooling upgrades for evaluation. Colton knows this circuit very well from his IndyCar career, so his feedback will be valuable as we establish our baseline for the weekend.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google