Colton Herta Makes First Cadillac F1 Practice Run in Barcelona
colton herta made his first Formula 1 practice session appearance with Cadillac at the Barcelona Grand Prix weekend. He was part of a mandated rookie FP1 wave that put several non-race drivers on track at once, with teams using the session to hand out valuable laps in current cars.
Cadillac and Barcelona FP1
Herta’s run was the headline move in a list that also included Leonardo Fornaroli, Frederik Vesti, Ayumu Iwasa, Dino Beganovic, Luke Browning and Paul Aron. The Barcelona weekend became a rare snapshot of how Formula 1 teams manage rookie practice requirements, with multiple squads filling one session at the same circuit.
Cadillac used the session to give Herta his first official appearance in F1 practice. That placed him alongside a group of drivers with different pathways into the session: McLaren reserve Fornaroli was announced for his first Formula 1 practice outing, while Mercedes reserve Vesti was set to drive the championship-leading car.
Fornaroli, Vesti and Iwasa
Fornaroli’s inclusion gave McLaren another rookie run at a weekend built around these mandated outings. Vesti’s assignment stood out because he was scheduled to take the championship-leading car, a clear sign of how top teams are splitting limited practice mileage across their reserve pool.
Iwasa also had an FP1 outing listed for Barcelona with Racing Bulls. Ferrari junior Beganovic was due to complete his third practice outing with Ferrari, adding experience to a session that was otherwise built around first and repeat appearances rather than race preparation for the full-time lineups.
Browning and Aron
Browning’s schedule stretched beyond Barcelona. He was set to drive Alex Albon’s car at Barcelona and Carlos Sainz’s car at the Red Bull Ring, giving Williams another look at a reserve driver who has been competitive after switching to Super Formula this year.
Beganovic’s position added another layer to the weekend. He was sixth in Formula 2 and 20 points behind the standings leader when the article was written, so the Ferrari run gave him track time at a stage of the season where every lap carries value. Aron’s path was different again: last year Alpine loaned him to what was then Sauber for two practice outings, and that arrangement would continue in 2026. Barcelona ended up serving as the clearest checkpoint of how teams are distributing rookie mileage across a tightly controlled F1 calendar.
