There is nothing quite like a street circuit that bites, and Colton Herta has found himself right in the thick of it. The Hitech driver turned in a sharp performance during the opening 45-minute session in Azerbaijan, putting his machine fourth on the timesheets and finishing 0.495s away from pacesetter Kush Maini's benchmark.
Speaking in the paddock after stepping out of the car, the American driver made no secret of his appreciation for the venue. "It's interesting, I think it's quite technical," Herta said. "A lot of really big brake zones, which can be difficult on the street circuit with the bumps and whatnot. But it's very enjoyable, I liked it. I like all the tracks this year, they've been enjoyable to drive, and they each have their own little niches in what makes them tick. This one is no different. It's very enjoyable, it was very dirty, so it'll be interesting to see the evolution going into qualifying."
You have to be on the pace immediately because of the amount of track time. You then have a bit of a break and are able to understand a little bit more going into these last few rounds.
After sitting down with the squad for a proper debrief, the mood inside the garage remained optimistic. The opening lap hit the right notes, though the hunger for absolute speed never rests. "I was happy with the lap that I did," he continued. "Obviously, I always want more, and there's still quite a bit to find if you want to be quickest. So that's kind of what we're working on in between Practice and Qualifying here, to try to set ourselves up as best as possible. There’s a lot of points on offer this weekend, but more so I would just like to get a result."
Now, attention shifts squarely to qualifying later today, where the asphalt will tell a completely different story. Formula 1 is scheduled to run its Free Practice prior to the session, a factor guaranteed to lay down rubber and drag grip levels upward alongside rising temperatures. To spice the mix even further, the teams are set to run the Supersoft tyres for the first time.
All of that means homework time for the driver before getting back behind the wheel. "I mean, I’m trying to understand really kind of what the difference is," he said. "I want to understand what needs to happen from the driving side of things to get the lap time out of the car. I don't think it changes too much as far as the technique from practice. But there's obviously a lot more grip to have. So preparing for that and understanding where the biggest jumps come throughout the lap is important."
With every weekend bringing an extra layer of familiarity, the pressure to deliver immediately on the asphalt remains absolute. "Every weekend you get more comfortable, and I think on these race weekends, there's really no time to learn," Herta added. "You have to be on the pace immediately because of the amount of track time. You then have a bit of a break and are able to understand a little bit more going into these last few rounds."
