Formula 2 in 2026 boasts a grid with an even split between rookies and returning drivers. Feeder Series spoke to two of those rookies, Hitech’s Colton Herta and ART Grand Prix’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, about how their teams are providing them with the experience they lack in the championship. 

By Cliona Sheerin

Ten drivers have made their full-season debuts in F2 this year. All come with varying levels of experience in single-seater machinery and on the calendar’s circuits, none the more so than Colton Herta.

The American driver’s return to European tracks after a nine-year hiatus to compete in his home country signals a completely new challenge for the 26-year-old. But what he may lack in recent European experience, his team makes up for in a proven ability to win races.

Hitech have stood on the top step of an F2 podium 14 times, meaning they sit eighth on the teams’ total wins list. They have also maintained a record of taking at least one victory in the championship each year since their debut in 2020.

Herta will be aiming to continue that trend this season, as will his veteran teammate Ritomo Miyata, whose support has proven vital as a means of competing on the same level as the series’ returning drivers. 

“Obviously doing a second year in anything is going to help you, especially in the beginning half of the season,” Herta told Feeder Series in Thursday’s virtual media roundtable. “But what helps me is I have Ritomo who has been in the series for three years now, so he’s got a wealth of knowledge and he’s willing to share and help me. So I think along with using the team, who obviously have [more] experience in the series, but also Ritomo from the driving side has been helpful.”

With a best finish of fifth in the sprint race in Barcelona and three further feature race points finishes, Herta sits 15th in the championship standings on 20 points ahead of the seventh round of the season this weekend in Silverstone. 

Just one position ahead of Herta in the standings on 23 points is Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. He too has made the move to F2 this season, albeit a more linear one as a graduate from F3. 

“Being a rookie, there are a lot more experienced drivers on the grid,” Inthraphuvasak told Feeder Series. “But I think at the level we’re at now, you should be able to perform no matter how much experience you have. Me and the team have been working so hard to get my low level of experience to maximise this as much as possible. At the end of the day, with Formula 3, I don’t think there’s too much difference that you can’t adapt to during one season.”

Inthraphuvasak’s ART team has been crucial to that adaptation. The French team have excelled in the series, taking champions George Russell, Nyck de Vries and Théo Pourchaire to the title in previous years. Their winning record is not lost on Inthraphuvasak as he grows his relationship with the 2023 teams’ champions.

“A team like ART is a perfect environment for me to build as a driver,” he continued. “They’ve shown that they are more than capable of winning races in the past with great drivers. I’m really happy with how the team and I are working right now, and I’m really looking forward to this round and the second half of the season.”

Silverstone is a site of fond memories for Inthraphuvasak, whose debut campaign has yielded a series of ups and downs so far. After a double points finish in the season opener in Melbourne, a medical decision following a crash in qualifying in Montréal forced him to sit out the rest of the round. Following a period of recovery, he is now ready to reinvigorate his season, bolstered by the confidence of his fifth-place finish in the F2 feature race at the Red Bull Ring four days ago and his sprint race win around the Silverstone circuit in F3 last year.

“It gives me a lot of confidence. It’s basically like my second home track because I’m based in London now, so it’s not too far away. It’s nice to be close to where I live,” said Inthraphuvasak, a mechanical engineering student at City St George’s, University of London. 

“My first win [in F3 came] here and it’s where I turned the season around last year. After Silverstone, it went really well, so I’m looking forward to hopefully doing the same thing. A good result [at the] Red Bull Ring as well gives me a lot of confidence heading into this week. It’s a track that I enjoy a lot. Good memories in the past, getting the first win for Thailand in Formula 3 … hopefully I can get a good result this weekend as well.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency