Colton Herta was forced to end his Formula 2 weekend at Madring earlier than planned. The Hitech GP driver withdrew from both races after a heavy qualifying crash on Friday.
The incident occurred at Turn 19 of the new Madrid circuit. The rear of Herta's car lost grip, sending him into both walls. The damage was extensive: the front, rear, and right-hand side of his car were all damaged. Herta subsequently withdrew from Saturday and Sunday's races, reportedly feeling unwell.
This decision adds to Herta's struggles in his debut F2 season. The former IndyCar runner chose the F2 route to chase his F1 dream with Cadillac, but reality has been far from smooth. Out of 11 rounds, he has only once qualified in the top 10 and scored 26 points—20 of them in the first five races.
String of Incidents and Performance Pressure
More worryingly, Herta has crashed three times in his last six F2 sessions. The low point came at Monza, where he hit the barriers twice. The gravity of these incidents is a concern, especially given Hitech GP's high hopes for him.
Meanwhile, his teammate, Ritomo Miyata, just secured his maiden F2 win on Saturday—a stark contrast to Herta's pace. Additionally, fellow American Ugo Ugochukwu clinched the 2026 F3 title on Sunday, adding to the list of young American achievements.
With inconsistent performances, Herta's F2 future is in question. There has been no official statement from the team regarding his presence at the next rounds. However, it is clear that the California native must quickly find his rhythm if he wants to keep his F1 hopes alive.
The Madring crash is a severe blow, both physically and mentally. Herta is required to bounce back, as competition in F2 intensifies and time keeps ticking. We await whether he can turn things around in the remainder of the season.
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