The American had explored the possibility of contesting IndyCar at Indianapolis and Formula 2 in Montreal on the same day, with the two venues separated by less than 800 kilometres, but ultimately conceded it was not realistic.
His decision follows disruption to the Formula 2 schedule, with the Middle East rounds cancelled before replacement events in Miami and Montreal created a direct clash with the Indy 500 weekend.
“I had visions in my head of being able to do that, but I kind of always knew it wasn’t going to be able to do legitimately,” Herta said.
“As far as the Indy side, you miss Carb Day, which is a very important day.
“And then even if it were to work, I think it’d be difficult because for me F2 is the clear priority and Cadillac is the clear priority for me this year.
“That was just kind of be a little bit of an added bonus when I had a bit of time off, but yeah, it wasn’t meant to be this year.”
The 26-year-old has instead committed fully to his F2 season, having already scored points on debut in Australia with a seventh-place finish.
“I love it,” Herta said.
“I think for me at the beginning of the year, I thought my only North America race is going to be the Indy 500.
“It’s cool to have two F2 races and two places that look like really interesting tracks, very enjoyable tracks.
“I didn’t have it on my bingo card, but I’m glad that I get to be in Miami and Montreal for the races.”
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While his IndyCar absence remains a personal sacrifice, Herta admitted it has been difficult watching from afar after six full seasons in the series.
“I would love to do an IndyCar race, but realistically, it’s probably not going to help anything that I’m doing full-time, so it won’t happen,” he added.
“Or I would probably say I wouldn’t do it because it might hurt. I watch every time that I don’t have a race weekend. I’m watching all the sessions, qualifying, races.
“A part of me hurts to watch a little bit because I love the IndyCar racing. I love being in it. It’s such a fun car to drive.
“But it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to watch an IndyCar race too, so it’s kind of been enjoyable from that aspect.”
Alongside his F2 season, Herta is also stepping further into the Formula 1 environment, with Cadillac confirming he will take part in four practice sessions across this year.
His first appearance will come at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in June, marking his debut in an official F1 weekend session.
“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team car for the first time,” Herta said.
“I am looking forward to working closely with the team in a full grand prix environment and am fully focused on learning from every appearance.”
The practice program forms part of Cadillac’s structured development pathway, with Herta balancing simulator work and race weekends alongside his F2 campaign.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon said he believed the opportunity is a natural progression for the 26-year-old as he continues to adapt to the demands of the F1 environment.
“Colton is a top talent, which he has not only proved by building an impressive resume in the NTT IndyCar Series before joining us, but also with a strong start to his Formula 2 season,” Lowdon said.
“Completing all four of our young driver FP1 sessions is a natural next step in his Test Driver role, and I look forward to seeing what he can bring in terms of development and focus.”
Mullets, motivation and momentum: Inside Cadillac’s F1 project
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