Herta's F2 Debut Earns Harsh 'C-Minus' Grade from Driver
Mar.25 - Colton Herta has rated his first Formula 2 weekend a modest "C-minus" as the American begins his high-risk push toward Formula 1.
The 25-year-old, who left a race-winning IndyCar career to pursue an F1 seat with Cadillac, endured a mixed debut in Melbourne - one that underlined both the challenge and the potential of his switch.
In the only practice session, Herta crashed and triggered a red flag - a costly mistake in a category with minimal track time, particularly for rookies.
That left him "on the back foot" for the rest of the weekend.
The sprint race offered little recovery, with Herta finishing P16 after struggling with tyre management and track position.
But the feature race provided a more encouraging glimpse. Herta climbed through the field to finish P7, scoring six points and showing composure in chaotic conditions.
Overall, he sits P10 in the standings after round one - a modest but steady start given the circumstances.
Herta himself was not satisfied.
He labelled the weekend "unsatisfactory" and graded it a "C-minus", reflecting both his high expectations and the scale of adaptation required.
The move to F2 represents a major shift in driving style, with Herta admitting he is effectively relearning key fundamentals.
"It's the whole thing," he said of the differences from IndyCar.
"The geometry of the car, how it produces downforce, how it produces power. A lot of different changes are happening in my driving style."
Cadillac, however, remains encouraged.
Team CEO Dan Towriss said the feedback from Hitech has been positive, particularly regarding Herta's mindset.
"People have been raving about Colton's maturity - his work ethic, his approach, his adaptability, how quickly he learns," he said.
Cadillac F1 ambassador Mario Andretti has also noted that Cadillac's current race drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, have looked somewhat "rusty" early in the season.
For Herta, the goal is clear.
"I need to do well in F2 - that's my primary category this year," he said.
3 F1 Fan comments on “Herta's F2 Debut Earns Harsh 'C-Minus' Grade from Driver”
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He only needs to finish in the top eight to get the six points he needs. I think he can get up to ten points (one point per session) by participating in F1 free practice. He can get 2 more points if he avoids getting any penalty points. If Cadillac really wants him, presumably he can free practice his way to the finish, so if they like what they see and deem poor performance to be down to bad luck, he's still in.
Only one license point per practice session (when driving at least 100 full km & without a single penalty point obtained) in any case.
However, I'm sure he'll achieve the maximum of four he can via practice running, assuming Cadillac won't use more GP weekends than necessary to fulfill their minimum quota for this season.
Thank you! I tried to look up the number of practices he could participate in per year. If Cadillac will give him four, then he's perfectly fine then he only needs to finish 10th. Or, he could simply ensure that he gets no penalty points in the F2 season. Might be tricky, but those two are all he needs along with the four for the practice sessions.