Colton Herta: The main task is to improve in qualifications.

      Colton Herta acknowledged that his debut season in Formula 2 is not going well, and things can only improve if he steps up in qualifying.

      In IndyCar, Colton won races and poles, but at the insistence of Dan Taura, the head of TWG Global, which controls the economy and teams of Andretti competing in IndyCar and Cadillac F1, he moved to Formula 2 in 2026. The idea was for the 26-year-old driver to gain experience racing on the same tracks where F1 Grands Prix take place, learn the nuances of Pirelli tires, and, importantly, try to earn enough points for an FIA super license.

      However, six out of 14 rounds of the season are already behind, and Herta is only in 15th place in the youth series standings, with his best result being 5th place in the sprint in Barcelona.

      "I wouldn't rate my season highly at all," Colton told the American publication Racer. "The way things are going is frustrating, but we just have to keep striving for improvements and make small steps forward. Of course, I'm a racer and want to fight for wins, poles, and podiums, and we've been close to success, but...

      Right now, our Achilles' heel remains qualifying, but I think we can sort this issue out. This is currently our number one task, as our race pace is much better than in qualifying. If we can improve, then we can build on that for further improvements, and hopefully, we'll finish the season much stronger."

      Before the season began, Colton did not hide that adapting to a new car and environment would not be easy for him, as Formula 2 is very different from IndyCar. At that time, there were also concerns that he would face difficulties early on due to a lack of experience with Pirelli tires, while other drivers had already studied them in Formula 3.

      But, according to the American driver racing for Hitech, the problems are not only related to the tires: "It's not entirely clear what challenges we will face at each subsequent round of the season; you can't say that we're solving just one problem, and that will help with everything else.

      Each track has its own characteristics, and, of course, the tires react differently, the car behaves somewhat differently, as do the setups. I believe there are several aspects I can influence to achieve improvements, and I'm just trying to focus on them as much as possible.

      But Pirelli tires are indeed much more sensitive than the tires I'm used to, and the bad thing is that they can be damaged very quickly. Overall, the tires are completely different, and it takes time to learn them. This is just part of the problem, and it doesn't exhaust the tasks I need to work on."

      Colton's teammate, Japanese driver Ritomo Miyata, was once a champion in series like Super Formula and Super GT, but when he moved to F2, he also faced problems.

      "We discussed this with him," Herta continued. "I think he went through similar difficulties to what I'm facing now. He helps me a lot, it's fun to talk to him, and we are peers who raced in professional series before moving to F2. It was interesting to learn from him about Super Formula, what the cars are like there, and how his transition went. I see that we have a lot in common in this regard."

      In addition to competing in F2, Colton serves as a test driver and reserve driver for Cadillac F1, and during the June round in Barcelona, he completed the first of four planned practice sessions in a Formula 1 car. Next, he will return to the MAC-26 in Hungary.