Colton Herta piloted an F2 car in tests at Monza.

      Next season Colton Herta will not only serve as Cadillac F1’s reserve driver but also compete in Formula 2 for the British team Hitech. This is important both for obtaining a superlicense and for learning many of the tracks that host World Championship rounds. He is familiar with some of them, but far from all.

      “I may be older than many F2 drivers, but when it comes to speed these guys are second to none. Of course, I understand that I face a tough challenge, but I’m ready to take it on,” the official Formula 2 website quotes Colton, now a former IndyCar driver. “I’m here to learn, to pilot these cars and to show good pace — at least I hope so… Right now it’s the very early stage of preseason preparation; I just need to figure a lot out, to first feel on the simulator what an F2 car is like before I sit behind the wheel for the first time.”

      But already today photos taken in Monza have appeared in various sources showing the American driver piloting an old Formula 2 car on a rain-soaked track. There is no official information about this, but these are private tests that almost anyone with the necessary qualifications can take part in; they are run by the Swiss company Kateyama, which specializes in providing such services to professional racing teams and their drivers.

      The company’s website indeed states that on November 2 in Monza it is running such tests, in which participants can drive older cars from the GP3, F3, GP2 and F2 classes. One witness to what is happening today at the classic Italian autodrome reported: “Colton Herta is now training in Monza in an old Formula 2 car! The IndyCar star took advantage of Kateyama organizing these tests and is preparing for the upcoming season.”