The Drive 🤝 your inbox. Every weekday
The Daily Brief wraps up the biggest stories and our exclusive reporting on the auto industry and car culture.
Cadillac Formula 1 Team test driver Colton Herta showed off his impressive wheelman skills by pulling off the save of a lifetime during Formula 2 qualifying in Baku earlier today.
As seen in the video below, around the 7:40 mark, the American racer’s F2 car lost grip under braking as he entered Turn 15 of the Baku City Circuit, causing the rear to lose traction and whip around. According to track telemetry, F2 cars approach Turn 15 at about 155 to 161 mph, while apex speeds range from 50 to 60 mph.
Thankfully, rather than fight the spin and countersteer—which could’ve sent the front end in the opposite direction and straight into the wall—he let the car rotate all the way and do a 360-degree spin. The result? An impressive-looking spin that avoided contact with either wall and let him continue qualifying. Of course, those tires were severely flat-spotted and had to be changed, but that’s better than damaging the car’s bodywork or suspension.
F2 Qualifying Highlights | 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Herta’s results during his maiden F2 season are far from ideal, but that was to be expected given his drastic, somewhat last-minute jump from IndyCar to F2 so he could get enough FIA superlicense points to step up to F1 in the future. Although many see F2 and F3 as categories full of billionaire kids racing with their daddy’s money, the talent is exceptional, and the racing is fiercely competitive. Although extremely talented, Herta’s uphill battle was always going to be very intense.
The young American recently said that he is “not interested in another year in Formula 2,” but with two points shy of meeting the minimum requirement to race in F1, he may be forced to do so—at least if he still wants to pursue his F1 dream with Cadillac.
Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com
Add The Drive as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting.
As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive’s short- and long-term coverage.
