F2 has been an ‘eye-opening’ experience for Herta

Colton Herta admits his first year in Formula 2 has been an “eye-opening” experience so far as he faces the challenge of adapting to Pirelli tires and a new category.

The former IndyCar driver made the switch to F2 in order to gain experience of the Pirelli rubber used on the Formula 1 ladder, and race on circuits that also host grands prix. While he can gain Super License points through FP1 outings, a top 10 finish in the F2 championship would also have helped on that front, but Herta says the tough going he’s experienced so far – he's currently 16th in the points – is still beneficial to any future F1 hopes.

“Eye-opening, I guess,” Herta said of his time in F2 so far. “I think there's good things and bad things about every series, and I think I've found it quite challenging and it's been interesting so far.

“I would say the tire [is the biggest challenge]. I think the Pirelli, specifically coming from cold, without having the tire blankets, it's quite particular. If anything, it kind of sets you up nicely because it's easier when you get to Formula 1, because once you have the tire blankets, it's all about maintaining temperature, not bringing it from whatever it might be – 30, 40 degrees – to what it gets to.

“So if anything, I think it simplifies it a little bit. It's good to have that and be hyper-focused on it, because once you get to Formula 1, I think that aspect of it actually gets easier."

Despite his own difficulties in picking up regular point-scoring results, Herta says he’s enjoyed the racing throughout the field and has been impressed by the quality of the on-track battles.

“It's good. I think the racing in this series is actually very good," he said. "The power of the DRS in that car is pretty massive. Especially with the downforce levels you run and the wickers you have on the rear wing, it actually creates a lot of drag, which opens up the racing a lot.

“I think that's a pretty known thing, but I've enjoyed that aspect of it – the racing, the wheel-to-wheel battles. I think the drivers are tremendous, and everyone's actually quite fair. So it's been fun to be a part of that."