IndyCar driver Colton Herta has considered entering the Formula Regional Americas to earn enough FIA license points to race in Formula 1.
Colton Herta was one of the F1 driver candidates for Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2023, but he had not earned enough F1 super license points since 2019, leading the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) to drop multiple indies. Race winner Kerr has refused to join F1.
Colton Herta finished 10th in the standings for the 2022 IndyCar Series, eight points short of F1 Superlicense points to qualify for F1.
Colton Herta’s father has suggested sending his son to Formula Regional Americas to earn F1 super license points.
“In July this year, just before Toronto, Bryan Herta called me and wanted to know if it could be allowed[ei fab]Colton to race in the Formula Regional Series, because he has more super license points. We needed it,” Scott Goodyear, the series’ director of racing, told the Racer to Racer podcast.
“We have approved it from a series point of view and certainly our managers approved it, but it has not been cleared by the FIA to run and it will only run in the series to collect points. I didn’t get the chance.” “
“The Formula Regional teams and drivers were very happy because they thought they would see a driver of Colton’s ability in Formula Regional. He had a real chance to see how he would match. The FIA protocol stopped him.”
However, an FIA spokesperson told RaceFans that he was not aware of any formal request regarding Colton Herta’s Formula Regionals entry, “to allow IndyCar and Formula Regional Americas to be held in the same calendar history”, he noted that only in the same history it could be maintained. earn Super License points from that series or IndyCar.
If Colton Herta had managed to climb to third in the standings in six races in the last two rounds of the IndyCar post-season, it would have been possible to qualify for an F1 super license.
The IndyCar season ended on September 11th, but the FIA officially refused the issuance of the F1 super license to Colton Herta on September 23rd. Scuderia AlphaTauri announced on October 8 the appointment of Nick de Vries as their driver for 2023.
Andretti Autosport, to which Colton Herta belongs in IndyCar, plans to enter F1 as Andretti Cadillac in partnership with General Motors, and Colton Herta is the first candidate for the driver when the record is approved . Until then, Herta will be required to qualify for an F1 super licence.
Category: F1 / Colton Herta / indy car / Andretti
