Story byIndyCar’s Rossi Gives F1 Thumbs Up to Colton Herta James Sutton - Formula 1 - Getty ImagesSusan WadeWed, January 28, 2026 at 2:48 AM UTC·2 min readFormer Andretti Global IndyCar headliner Colton Herta is circulating in a heady new orbit this year after eight seasons as a second-generation IndyCar driver. He’s exactly on the trajectory he dreamed of as a youngster watching father Bryan Herta race. And he’s right where 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, former teammate, and fellow Californian Alexander Rossi says he belongs. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHerta is running in the FIA Formula 2 series for the Hitech TGR team, hoping to earn enough points for a Super License that would qualify him to step up eventually to the Formula 1 Championship with the newly minted American Cadillac team. And while the US media seems worried that Herta will carry massive pressure, Rossi—who made five Formula 1 starts himself—assured that is not the case.“Colton doesn’t carry any weight, because whether it goes well or not, I can promise you, he won’t lose any sleep over it,” Rossi said. James Sutton - Formula 1 - “But I think he’s very excited about the opportunity to go and experience something new and something that ultimately was a dream of his as a child,” he said.