Colton Herta to Drive in Austin Practice Friday
The IndyCar star will pilot Sergio Perez's Cadillac during opening practice at the Circuit of the Americas.
Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Motorsports
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Colton Herta is set to drive in the opening practice session at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday, October 23, 2026. This appearance marks Herta's fourth time behind the wheel for a mandatory rookie practice session this season.
Why it matters
The session allows the team to fulfill mandatory rookie requirements while Herta provides valuable circuit knowledge to establish a baseline. The team will also utilize the time to evaluate specific floor and cooling upgrades on the vehicle.
Colton Herta makes his 4th FP1 appearance of the 2026 season during this mandatory session. He holds a career record of 9 IndyCar wins, including his first victory at this track in 2019 at age 18.
The players
Colton Herta
He is a professional IndyCar driver known for being the youngest race winner in the series' history.
Sergio Perez
He is a professional racing driver currently competing in the top tier of international open-wheel racing.
The details
Herta will complete a structured technical program to gather setup data before handing the Cadillac back to Sergio Perez for the second practice session. The team aims to utilize the session to test new vehicle components.
Timeline
Colton Herta won his first IndyCar race at COTA in 2019.
Herta will drive in the practice session on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Season Trajectory
This practice session serves as a crucial data-gathering exercise that impacts the team's setup strategy for the remainder of the Grand Prix weekend. It also provides a significant developmental opportunity for Herta as he integrates into the team's broader engineering program.
Fans tracking team performance will see the vehicle equipped with experimental floor and cooling components during the opening session. Herta will conclude his portion of the program before the second practice, at which point regular drivers resume full control of the car.
The takeaway
Team-led testing sessions like this one are vital for refining vehicle aerodynamics and cooling performance before high-stakes qualifying. Understanding these technical baselines helps the team optimize their setup for the full duration of the race weekend.
Further reading
For more updates on the race weekend, visit our Motorsports section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Grandprix.
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