Colton Herta said his hair fell out of his balaclava during the Toronto GP, and that impaired vision made it difficult for him to fend off Felix Rosenqvist in the closing laps
Colton Herta stands out at Indy both for his talent on the track and his long hair. The young Andretti driver was back on the podium last Sunday (17) in Toronto, but his signature look became a problem when his hair fell out of his balaclava. With his vision impaired, Herta revealed that he had a hard time holding off Felix Rosenqvist in the latter part of the race.
"I couldn't see much because my balaclava broke. All my hair fell in front of my face. I could see Felix when he was going through turn three. I could kind of calculate the distance. I was having to look at the sides of my visor instead of the middle. I think it was very much because of the balaclava. It sounds like a lame excuse, and I try not to make excuses. But yeah, I couldn't see much," explained the American.
Colton started from the pole-position and finished just behind Scott Dixon, who inherited the lead after the first pit-stop. This was the Andretti driver's first podium since his victory at the rainy Indianapolis GP 1, and he hopes for a little more consistency for the rest of the season and 2023. Hair got in the way in Canada, but Herta believes his rivals were able to take better care of their tires.
"Still, even if I could see it, Felix seemed to be very fast, on the same pace as Scott [Dixon], while we were wearing out the tires more. I was starting to struggle towards the end while Felix was still able to get out of the corners and keep behind me. Maybe he was having less trouble," Herta stated.
"My balaclava has to hold a lot of hair, so I can understand why I failed. This is the first time I've seen or heard about it. I'm going to get a haircut just like Felix next week!" joked Colton.
Asked about possible solutions, the American was straightforward: "I have to wear a new one every race. Another option would indeed be to change his style and cut his hair, but a barber is not part of Colton's plans: "That would solve it, but I'm not going to do it.
Herta hopes for a little more consistency for the rest of the season. The second podium of the year raised him to the eighth position in the Indy standings, with 254 points, 97 less than the leader Marcus Ericsson. The category returns this Saturday (23), for the Iowa 1 GP, with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.