Colton Herta’s F1 dreams have ended for now after Red Bull abandoned its efforts to secure a mandatory F1 super licence.
Red Bull F1 motorsport adviser Helmut Marko is amid reports that the FIA has refused to grant an exemption to F1’s strict points-based super-licensing rules for 22-year-old Colton Herta, who was “not getting on with Colton Herter no more.”
“It is a shame that the FIA does not recognize the value of American drivers in F1.”
“Especially when you consider that there are three F1 races in the rapidly growing American market.”
On the surface, the fact that Red Bull has left Colton Herta is bad news for Pierre Gasly, who wants to move to the Alpine F1 team.
Red Bull intended to release Pierre Gasly from his contract with Alpha Tauri for 2023 only if the appointment of Colton Herta materialized.
But Helmut Marko may be leaving the transfer door open for Pierre Gasly, who is keen to move on after carving out a long F1 career in the Red Bull family.
Helmut Marko admitted that “negotiations with Alpine are difficult” but said that Red Bull is still exploring “what the possibilities are” for next year.
Meanwhile, Nick de Vries, who made an impressive F1 debut for Williams at Monza as a replacement for Alexander Albon, has confirmed rumors that he met Helmut Marko at his office in Graz (Austria) last Friday.
This means that if AlphaTauri can secure Nick de Vries, Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine could still happen.
“We talked about schnitzel,” Nick de Vries joked to Auto Hebdo when asked about the meeting with Helmut Marko.
Nick de Vries is also a strong contender to race full-time for Williams in 2023 as he prepares to test the year-old Alpine F1 machine in Hungary.
“They are all true,” Nick de Vries confirmed to Dutch broadcaster RTL4.
“We have been discussing with Alpine since July and it has already been reported that I have discussed the prospects for cooperation with Dr Marko in Austria.”
“Obviously, I’ve been talking to Williams for a long time and I could make my debut there, so it would be a logical step. But I literally don’t think I’m in a position where I can choose a. team.
“It’s out of my control and not everything in this world revolves around performance, but luckily we have a bit of momentum now and there’s room on the grid.”
“So there is a chance, but there is no guarantee.”
On the other hand, the management of Mick Schumacher, who is rumored to be losing his Haas F1 team seat and Ferrari Driver Academy contract at the same time, have denied reports that he will take part in the Alpine F1 team’s private test.
Category: F1 / red bull / Colton Herta / Nick de Vries
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