Herta , who has racked up seven wins and eight pole positions since joining IndyCar full-time in 2019, tested last year’s McLaren MCL35M F1 car under TPC [previous car testing] rules, taking 162 laps of the International Circuit. of the Algarve (Portimao) for two days.
Despite running on a track that McLaren F1 had data on after contesting the 2020 and 2021 Portuguese Grands Prix there, Herta said it would be difficult to compare his times with the team’s regular drivers, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.
“This is a track where it’s very difficult to understand that aspect because of the winds and so many different factors,” he told the media. “It was a bit colder than race weekend.”
Colton Herta, McLaren MCL35M
“I was happy with the lap time, but we are on a slightly different tire than we would have had in a grand prix. how much the car can change from one corner to another.
“Regarding the lap times, it’s hard to say. I think the engineers will know by looking at the data if you’re fast or not.
However, when asked if he was confident of being competitive in Formula 1, Herta replied: “Yes, yes… you can’t say no to that question, otherwise you wouldn’t be a professional driver. So yes, I think I’m fast enough.”
“If the team agrees I guess time will tell, and hopefully I can get more opportunities in the car and hopefully I can show it.”
To that end, he said he would be interested in taking part in Free Practice 1 sessions this season, although he admitted that they would be less useful in terms of available track time.
“[Friday practice] is certainly something I would be open to,” said the 22-year-old from Valencia, California . “As for the TPC test days, they couldn’t be better, because you have the whole track to yourself, you have all the time in the car that, obviously, in a 60-minute FP1 you wouldn’t have.”
“But it would be great to be able to test the 2022 cars and see how they compare to this car. So yes, I would like that.”
Herta described his first F1 test as “a lot of fun” and was very impressed with the acceleration.
“I think the first thing was, when I came out of the pitlane speed limiter, all the torque is pretty incredible,” he said. “Even when you’re at such low revs, it’s still pulling. That was the most important thing for me: straight line speed, acceleration and braking.”
“Obviously the cornering speeds were higher than what you get in an IndyCar, but it didn’t impress me as much as how impressive the acceleration was and how easy it is to have all these horses as soon as you put your foot in the car. throttle”.
As for cornering response, Herta admitted: “It’s a completely different feeling. The feeling you get in an IndyCar is very different because there’s no power steering, so the overall response of the steering wheel doesn’t match what you get. you have in an F1 car. So it was something I had to get used to, to slow down the hands.
“And obviously the speed is much higher on the circuits, but overall it was good to get a feel and a taste of what these machines can do.”
Herta said the test was long enough to get right into the constant tinkering that can go into tuning an F1 car.
“We were able to go through a lot of different things, a lot of mechanical and aero balance changes with the car,” he said. “And then inside the car itself, I was able to play around with all the tools, the diff settings and all that kind of stuff.
“It was really cool to see the balance changes and what you can do with the car just from the inside. It’s quite a bit more than what we can do in IndyCar… If you have a problem in a corner, you can adjust it with a flick of your finger. “.
Colton Herta, McLaren MCL35M
He added: “I felt comfortable right away. The most important thing was to do a lap together. I think I hit the limit towards the middle of the first day, but it was only in a series of separate corners, whereas on the second day, I felt quite sure I could do full laps, low fuel, high fuel and everything in between. But it took me a while, for sure.”
On the subject of how many more days he might need to feel fully prepared, Herta replied: “It’s hard to say where you stand against these guys when you’re doing a testing program on a year-old car. comfortable that I felt, I felt really comfortable in the car. I could feel the limit. Maybe not the consistency that would come with a few more days, but I felt that it was close.
Herta said switching to F1 “is my goal, it has been for a while” and that the time has to be in two or three years, not ten.
“Without a doubt, I think if I had to wait that long, it wouldn’t happen,” he said. “I think in these times Formula 1 is definitely a youngster’s game. Luckily I have a bit of time if the opportunity arises, but I’m not too worried at the moment. I’ll just try to go as fast as I can and I hope to open some doors at some point.”
Asked if Herta was a serious contender for a McLaren F1 seat in 2024, Andreas Seidl replied: “The aim of this test today was, as Colton mentioned, to give you the opportunity to experience an F1 car for the first time and exploring his performance. And that was the goal and what comes next is something we’re going to do step by step, we take our time as well. That’s where we’re at…”
“When you do these two days of testing, there are different testing objectives, obviously. First of all, to give Colton a chance to get used to the car, but also to change the focus to work on different, shall we say, driving techniques, for example. Getting used to the different operational aspects of Formula 1 race weekends, like comparing different tire compounds, running on different fuel loads, doing qualifying runs, race simulation runs…
“I have to say that the team was very impressed by the way Colton faced all these challenges and by his professional attitude. And what was great to see also, is that his physical preparation allowed him to keep going during the two days, knowing how difficult it can be in the Formula 1 car on a track like Portimao”.
“In the end, that approach together with the team allowed him to really pick up the pace, gain confidence gradually. And also always find the right balance between taking risks and still keeping the car on track, which is obviously also important at a test like this. “.
Although Seidl agreed with Herta that no direct time comparisons could be made with McLaren’s starting drivers at Portimao last year, he said the team would dig into the data and assess Herta’s potential given the relative differences on track. , weather and tire compounds, and would decide if he would be considered for the FP1 sessions.
“Over the next few days the team will be digging deeper into the data, to get an initial idea of the potential that Colton has shown in our car,” he said. “Then we will have a better picture or a good idea. And that will obviously also be part of our evaluation of what the next steps might look like.”
“As you know, we are required by the regulations to field a rookie twice this year in a free practice session 1. We plan to do it sometime after the summer break, so we still have time to decide when we will do it and to whom. we will put in the car. And, yes, that is a process that we will be in in the next few weeks.”
Seidl also said that Herta’s IndyCar rival and former Indy Lights teammate Pato O’Ward would be another driver they would test. The young Mexican driver, who currently drives for Arrow McLaren SP in IndyCar and is a championship contender for the third consecutive year, tested an F1 car for the team last winter.
In addition, after the announcement on Tuesday night, the Spanish Alex Palou will also test a Formula 1 and between them and Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist will be the driver or drivers who will compete in the two free sessions in F1 2022.
