American IndyCar driver could take the final F1 seat for 2022 with Alfa Romeo

Up-and-coming IndyCar star Colton Herta could take last place on the Formula 1 grid for 2022 if a planned takeover of the Alfa Romeo team comes about.

The American motorsport company Andretti Autosport, led by former Formula 1 driver Michael Andretti, is said to be in the final phase of talks about the takeover of the Swiss team. A deal has not yet been finalized, but final talks are planned for the US Grand Prix in Texas in two weeks.

The 21-year-old Herta currently drives for the Andretti team in IndyCar, the highest level of open-wheel motorsport in the USA, and is the youngest driver to ever win a race in the series. The native Californian qualified a very impressive second place for this year’s Indy 500 and finally finished the world-famous race in 16th place.

While all the other Formula 1 teams have confirmed their driver line-up for the next season, the last place at Alfa Romeo remains vacant, with the new Valtteri Bottas serving as team leader in place of the resigned compatriot Kimi Räikkönen. Antonio Giovinazzi is not expected to remain, but the list of candidates for the second seat is long.

F2 World Championship leader Oscar Piastri has a strong claim to an F1 place, but his ties to Alpine make a move to Alfa unlikely, according to team principal Fred Vasseur, who added that “it’s not the end of the world” if the Australians will have to wait another year to take the move.

Other F2 drivers such as Guanyu Zhou and Théo Pourchaire are considered, but their inexperience can count against them. Formula E champion Nyck de Vries is another potential name on Vasseur’s list, as is veteran F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg, who has been without a fixed drive since leaving Renault in late 2019.

However, Herta is a driver whose path to Formula 1 has been the subject of much discussion since his impressive first outings in the IndyCar a few years ago. The sport is now owned by Liberty Media, an American mutual fund, and has grown in the US in recent years thanks to the new track for the US Grand Prix in Texas and the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive in the background -scene documentary series.

A second American race will be added to the calendar next season, a Miami street circuit that runs around the outside of the Miami Dolphins’ NFL stadium.

When asked about a possible takeover before the Turkish Grand Prix this weekend, Vasseur said: “I can’t say anything because, to be honest, it’s not within my parameters.”

“I am the CEO and team leader and such discussions are not with me, but with the shareholders and that we have so many rumors and so on that you have to put the question to the shareholders of the company.”

Herta does not currently have enough Super License Points to qualify as an F1 driver, but has earned enough to potentially receive special permission to compete from the FIA.

Last year, Herta spoke openly about his desire to get into Formula 1 and even named Alfa Romeo as a potential target. He said: “I would like to try Formula 1 out.

“I think it would have to mean either being on a top three team or creating incentives if I’m doing well enough to get into a top three team.

“So to be with Alfa Romeo for a year or two or something and if I do it well enough, maybe I can move up to a Ferrari or a Red Bull.