Colton Herta is preparing for his debut in Formula 1.

      Colton Herta will make his Formula 1 debut during an official race weekend this Friday – the American driver will take part in the first practice session in Barcelona with Cadillac, replacing Sergio Perez for one hour.

      Colton Herta: “I’m looking forward to the start of the event in Barcelona. I feel ready to get behind the wheel. I’ve been working on the simulator in Charlotte, learning the track and the procedures to follow during the session. Additionally, I’ve worked with the team in Silverstone, and I’ve spent the last few Grands Prix with them, learning how the team operates to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

      The goal is to have a clean session, help the team gather the necessary information, and get used to the Formula 1 car. I have a busy weekend ahead, as I will also be competing in Formula 2, but that kind of pressure is a privilege, so I’m looking forward to it.”

      Sergio Perez: “The whole team is heading to Barcelona with great motivation. We can be proud of how we raced in Monaco because we didn’t give up. The points earned in the sixth race would have made a great story, but even without them, we gained experience that will help the team become stronger. The team has character, and that’s something I really like about it.

      The event in Barcelona will be a completely different challenge, as in some ways everything will be much more predictable. Our goal is to have a clean weekend, avoid reliability issues, and keep moving forward. The team truly believes in itself right now, and it’s important to maintain that mindset.”

      Valtteri Bottas: “This weekend in Barcelona, we have a great opportunity to get back behind the wheel and continue working as a team, focusing on solving the issues I faced in the last event.

      I’m curious to see what progress we’ve made since the first tests in Barcelona when I first drove the MAC-26. I hope we can immediately find a good pace and perform at a high level in all sessions.

      Throughout my career, I’ve had good results at this track, so let’s see what this weekend brings us.”

      Graham Loudon, team principal: “The team did an excellent job in Monaco. It’s not an easy race, but everyone worked as a unit, and we finished tenth. Even with the penalty, that’s a great result.

      Barcelona presents a completely different track, so we need to stay focused, address any issues that arise, and do our jobs well. We continue to lay a solid foundation, and I’m confident we can maintain the positive momentum.”