Herta misses out on extra Super License point due to Cadillac hydraulic issue

Colton Herta missed out on a Super License point at the Italian Grand Prix after his FP1 outing was ended prematurely by a hydraulic issue.

The Cadillac third driver is competing in Formula 2 this season but can also earn an extra point towards his Super License with an FP1 appearance, provided he covers at least 100 kilometers in the session without picking up a penalty. On Friday at Monza, Herta was five laps into his running when he was instructed to stop the car, meaning he did not complete the required mileage.

“[The day was] shorter than I would have liked!” Herta said. “I think that these things are going to happen. It's just unfortunate what happened on one of the FP1s, but... I think the team was quick to act. Unfortunately the problem couldn't let us get back to the garage and try to fix it. We didn't have the time for that, so we had to stop and that was pretty much it.

“But I really enjoyed my one push lap. I thought it was really fun to get back in the car again and to work with everyone and look forward to doing another one in the future.”

The issue compounded a tough Friday for Herta, who crashed heavily in Formula 2 practice and then qualified 20th later in the day. However, the Californian still saw progress in terms of his F1 development, even in his short running.

“I think it's just about getting comfortable and then understanding what the drivers think the main problems of the car are, and so then I can kind of expect a bit more and try to close down on that learning period," he said.

“As far as every time I've gotten in the car, it's been really nice. The transition of coming up to speed has been shorter. Obviously, hard to tell on this last one, but as far as me and Valtteri’s [Bottas] first push laps, again, the gap is just growing shorter and shorter. And I think all it is is just time needed to be able to maximize it completely. But every time I'm seeing improvements, so it's positive.”

Herta is expected to make another FP1 appearance for Cadillac at the United States Grand Prix next month, and says he has plenty of F1 simulator time planned during a break in the F2 season.

“I've already been booked on the sim earlier this week for after Baku and some dates for that,” the IndyCar winner related. “But who knows because after Baku it's Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which we still kind of don't know about. So we'll see what the rest of my year looks like after Baku.

“They haven't confirmed the last F1 [outing], but there will be another one.”