Colton Herta is watching IndyCar’s European expansion from a unique vantage point.

Now competing in Formula 2 with Hitech and serving as Cadillac Formula One Team’s test driver following his fourth FP1 outing at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, the nine-time IndyCar race winner remains closely connected to the American open-wheel paddock. Last Friday, IndyCar announced a multi-year agreement to race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya beginning in 2027 – marking the series’ first event outside North America since 2013 and its return to Europe for the first time since 2007.

The trip to Spain promises a high-profile homecoming for five-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou. While two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso welcomed the decision while issuing a word of caution regarding international expansion, Herta threw his full support behind the Barcelona event – returning to the circuit where he logged his first F1 FP1 session of the season back in June, the same weekend he secured his highest F2 finish of the year with a fifth-place sprint race result.

“Yeah, I think any of these tracks IndyCar would perform amazing on,” Herta said. “It would be interesting to see. I think this is the first time in a long time for, maybe the first time ever for IndyCar in Spain. I think it's a good track. It'll promote really good racing for IndyCar. Obviously, Alex being a Spaniard, it's super important, I know, for him. And hopefully the country rallies behind it and they show up so that the race can be there for a long time.”

Colton Herta, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

For Herta, who finished runner-up for the 2024 IndyCar title, Palou's sustained dominance over the past six years remains a staggering benchmark.

“Well, it's bizarre. And it's unheard of, especially in the modern era,” Herta said. “When things are so closely, we have a car that is a DW12, so 14 years old. You would think everybody has figured out most of what they can about the car by now. And he seems to excel in every single way. And he's had an answer for every critique coming through.”

The 26-year-old Californian recalled first recognizing his rival's elite trajectory back during Palou's 2020 rookie campaign with Dale Coyne Racing at Road America.

“The first time I knew he was going to be good was actually his rookie year in 2020 when he was at Coyne,” Herta said. “And I could tell maybe the car wasn't the best. He was restarting behind me. I was third, and he was fourth. This was at Road America. I think this was his first podium ever. And he blew by me. He was so good on the restarts. He had two or three chances. We had two or three restarts, and he was always right behind me. He was defending very hard, and eventually there wasn't much I could do. And then he goes to Chip (Ganassi Racing) and wins the championship the following year, second year in IndyCar. It's super impressive and probably the toughest time ever to win IndyCar races because the cars are very similar. And we've had them for so long.

"I'm a big fan of Alex now that I'm not racing against him. And I appreciate it a lot watching it on TV. But, yes, hopefully there will be a time where I can go back and try to kick his ass because he's been doing it to me for too long.” 

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Photo by: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Unlocking Palou's speed isn't a matter of analyzing rival data streams. Unlike Formula 1, IndyCar teams lack access to universal onboards and receive restricted GPS data, leaving drivers to rely primarily on television broadcasts rather than granular telemetry sharing.

“We don't study each other's onboard because it's not like Formula 1,” Herta said. “We can't get other teams' onboards. And the GPS data that we do get is very poor. So what you can do is you can watch the TV broadcast, basically. They never show the pole lap. It's not like Formula 1 where every car gets an onboard. You have to pay for it. And so usually a sponsor pays for it. And so he doesn't. He's never had one, whether that's by design or whatnot. I don't know. A lot of people talk about it.”

Instead, Herta points to Palou's ability to systematically erase his own weaknesses – evolving from a perceived vulnerability on ovals into an Indianapolis 500 winner and multi-time oval victor – as the defining characteristic of his career.

“I think the biggest thing is anytime that people have had critiques of him, he's had an answer for it,” Herta said. “He won his first championship and he was very poor on ovals. And then the following year, he won on the oval. And then the year after that, he won the Indy 500 and won multiple times on ovals. So, yeah, it's very impressive.

“He's a good friend and a really good competitor. And I really enjoy racing against him and wish him the best. And, yeah, he's cool to watch on TV. It's not fun being part of it, I'll tell you that.”