MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Colton Herta, , at the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Colton Herta, , at the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia.
Apr 12, 2026, 12:00 PM CUT
26-YO American Driver’s Indy 500 Comeback Plan Collapses Amidst West Asia Crisis
Colton Herta’s dream of an IndyCar homecoming has come to a halt due to a sudden shift in the Formula 2 calendar stemming from the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the West Asia region.
Herta, who had moved to Europe to pursue his F1 ambitions through Formula 2, was supposed to drive the fourth car for Andretti Global in the Indianapolis 500. However, concerns about the West Asia political crisis forced the organizers to make immediate changes to the calendar, resulting in the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
To ensure there is no long gap in the season, the organizers have added the Miami and Montreal (Canadian GP) races to the Formula 2 calendar, the latter of which clashes directly with the Indy 500. In the earlier version of the calendar, there was a window of opportunity for Herta to compete in the Indy 500, given that F2 wouldn’t have resumed until early June at Monaco.
This development is indeed a big blow to both parties. Making his IndyCar debut in 2019 with Andretti, Herta became the youngest driver in the game’s history to win the IndyCar Classic at COTA. He participated seven more times before eventually transferring to F2 in 2026, driving for the Hitech Pulse-Eight team.
Sport Bilder des Tages September 19, 2021, Monterey, California, USA: COLTON HERTA 26 of Valencia, Canada wins the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Monterey USA - ZUMAa161 20210919_zaa_a161_011 Copyright: xEddiexHurskinxGrindstonexMedia/Ax
Sport Bilder des Tages September 19, 2021, Monterey, California, USA: COLTON HERTA 26 of Valencia, Canada wins the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Monterey USA - ZUMAa161 20210919_zaa_a161_011 Copyright: xEddiexHurskinxGrindstonexMedia/Ax
With a strong focus on securing a future F1 seat, skipping an F2 championship round is just not an option for him. Moreover, the logistics required to move from Indiana to Montreal rule out any possibility for the 26-year-old to make a one-off IndyCar appearance.
This has also left Andretti with no choice but to field three cars at the Indy 500: Will Power, Kyle Kirkwood, and former F1 driver Marcus Ericsson will drive the No. 26, 27, and 28 cars, respectively.
Juggling Between IndyCar, Supercars, and NASCAR
Kyle Larson, widely regarded as one of the most versatile drivers of his generation, probably knows what it’s like to miss a race, even though in his case it was more of his choice rather than a geopolitical incident; he took a step back to spend time with family after exhaustion.
Larson has interests outside NASCAR, including IndyCar, and he also planned to compete in the Adelaide 500. However, the two-time Cup Series champion admitted that exhaustion from his IndyCar and Cup Series commitments led him to skip the Adelaide 500.
That said, he hasn’t ruled out a return to the Supercars Championship, but at a point when he steps back from full-time racing.
Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!
Written by
Aaradhya Singh
Edited by
Siddharth Rawat