Christian Lundgaard has warned Colton Herta that trading IndyCar for Formula 2 and the F1 ladder will be far tougher than it looks.
The Danish driver - who made the reverse move from the European single-seater world to IndyCar - was in Austin for the United States GP when he spoke to Ekstra Bladet about Herta’s upcoming transition to Cadillac and, later, Formula 2.
"Good luck," Lundgaard said.
"Dan Towriss is involved with both Andretti and Cadillac, so we always knew it was a possibility because Colton is his project, like Kevin (Magnussen) was Anders’ (Holch).
"But the reason I say good luck is that he might underestimate the challenge. IndyCar is easier on a mental level, and there is also a challenge in managing expectations."
Lundgaard said Herta’s natural speed isn’t in doubt - but that the technical and physical demands of F2, especially its Pirelli tyres, will be a shock.
"Herta is incredibly fast, but he doesn’t exactly have the best tyre handling," he noted. "The American Firestone tyres are easier to manage than the Pirellis. When you don’t know how little you know about how bad and difficult tyre handling is in Formula 2 - it will probably seep in at some point."
Still, Lundgaard said he understands why Herta wants to take the risk. "If he has even the slightest chance of getting into Formula 1 with Cadillac and Dan, and that’s what he wants, that’s his best option. If Towriss pays the bills, then just go," he said.
Herta, who will begin as a Cadillac development driver before joining Hitech in F2 to gather super licence points for a 2027 F1 debut, faces a steep learning curve.
Meanwhile, Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon told Canal Plus in Austin that the American manufacturer’s F1 preparations are "on schedule."
"The good news is that we’re on schedule - that’s the most important thing," Lowdon said. "Time can’t be bought, and we’ll have to be ready to race against very established teams. I’ve worked with some of them, and coming in as a new team to fight them is a huge task."
Lowdon confirmed the project’s foundations are strong: "Our recruitment has been good, we have very good drivers, everything is falling into place. The team spirit is fantastic, there’s a lot of excitement."
With experienced racers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas signed for 2026 and Simon Pagenaud working as simulator driver in Charlotte, Lowdon said the lineup was deliberately chosen for its maturity. "They have 16 wins between them and a lot of podiums. We expect more than just speed - we expect them to help build the team," he said.