Hitech TGR’s Colton Herta says he’s excited for the season ahead after picking up his first FIA Formula 2 points in the opening round in Australia.
The former IndyCar driver finished seventh in Sunday’s Feature Race to cap off a weekend where he gradually made improvements.
“It’s been a great start to my first F2 season,” the nine-time IndyCar winner said. “The car felt good and I learned a lot this weekend.”
Round 1 ?
Scored points.
Learned a ton.On to the next one. ?#HitechGP #Formula2 #F1 @HitechGP @Formula2 @F1 @Cadillac_F1 @GainbridgeLife pic.twitter.com/Zp1dXZiHNg
— Colton Herta (@ColtonHerta) March 8, 2026
The American’s weekend got off to the worst possible start with a crash on the exit of Turn 10 in practice, costing him valuable track time.
He’d eventually qualifying 14th, directly behind his team mate Ritomo Miyata. In Saturday’s Sprint Race, he got stuck into the action as the racing was close, but he would also tangle with Campos’ Nikola Tsolov at Turn 4.
On Sunday, the 25-year-old kept himself out of trouble and delivered a clean drive from 14th to the points.
Herta said: “Scoring points in the Feature Race is encouraging and I’m excited to keep building as the season goes on.”
Jan Sumann, Head of Race Engineering in F2 for Hitech said Herta “made good progress” throughout the weekend.
He said: “Finishing in the points is a great result for him and the team. It’s a strong start to the season, and we’ll aim to keep building on this as we head to the next round.”
Miyata enjoys positive opener
Former Japanese Super Formula Champion Ritomo Miyata has struggled to live up to expectation so far in Formula 2, but the first round of 2026 suggests he might be about to show his true ability on a regular basis.
He was the lead Hitech all weekend and produced two great drives to finish fifth in both the Sprint and Feature Races, collecting a total of 14 points across the weekend.
LAP 31/33
Miyata and Inthraphuvasak are the next to overtake Varrone as the Argentinian begins to struggle with the degrading Soft tyres #F2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/RH7lv751m6
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 8, 2026
The 26-year-old said it’s “strong start”.
“Scoring points in [Saturday’s] Sprint Race and then finishing P5 in the Feature Race feels great, he said. “The car felt good, and the team gave me everything I needed to push. I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
Jan Sumann described Miyata’s Sunday performance as “fantastic”, adding that the team are pleased with how they’ve started the season, with the Silverstone-based squad third in the Teams’ Championship, 13 points behind early pace setters, Campos.
Hitech have challenged for both championships in the last two seasons, winning races with Paul Aron, Luke Browning and Dino Beganovic, as well as a gluttony of podiums.
Image – Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images
