Herta, who started from pole position, went on to score his first podium since winning the rain-soaked Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May, but said his job was made difficult in the closing stages when his famously fulsome mane flopped forward, limiting his vision.
“I couldn't really see much because my head sock broke. All of my hair went in front of my face. I could see Felix when I went through Turn 3. I could kind of judge the gap… I was having to look out the sides of my visor instead of in front.”
Asked if Rosenqvist had closed up on him because he had used up his tires too much trying to keep up with Dixon, Herta responded, “No, honestly I think a lot of it was from the balaclava. It sounds like a lame excuse and I try not to make excuses. Yeah, I really couldn't see much.
“Regardless, even if I could see, Felix seemed to be really fast, kind of just on pace with Scott, and we seemed to have a little bit more [tire] deg. I was starting to struggle there at the end where it looks like Felix was still able to get out of the corners and able to stay with me. Maybe he wasn't struggling as much.
“This head sock that I have has to hold back a lot of hair so I can understand why it broke. It's the first time I've ever actually seen that or heard of that. I’ll go for the Felix trim next week!”
Herta insisted that the remedy would be “wearing a brand-new one every time I race” rather than get a haircut because “that would also solve things, but I'm not gonna.”
Asked about potential hair accessories, Herta said, “Cut my hair and get a toupee or something?! I don't know.”
Herta praised the Andretti Autosport team for the pace of their four cars, stating: “The car was really good for all the race. Andretti brought a really good package here, and it showed.
“[Alexander] Rossi was running good until I don't know what happened [collision with Rosenqvist]. I was right up there, too. All the cars in top 12 in qualifying, got a pole, second-place finish. I'm happy with that. It's good to rebound with a result like this after Mid-Ohio.
Herta, who sits eighth in the championship, 97 points from the lead with seven rounds to go, said that regarding a title quest, “We really need to start racking up the podiums and wins if we want to have a shot at it.
“We are pretty far back… Might need a little bit of luck and a lot of good results, but we can do it.”
