Photo: Stacy Revere (Getty Images)
Michael Andretti buys the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team, uniting a famous family of racing drivers with the top of global motorsport. Then it hires a young, promising American talent as one of its drivers, something Haas – the sport’s other American team – failed to do in six seasons. It’s a really nice idea that has gotten a lot of speculation, even though it’s just a nice idea right now. However, Andretti is reportedly doing everything in his power to make it come true.
Almost two weeks ago it was reported that Andretti just before a deal Acquire 80 percent of the investment firm that owns Sauber Motorsport and Sauber Engineering, which run Alfa Romeo’s F1 efforts. It is rumored that Andretti visited Sauber’s base of operations in Hinwil, Switzerland on Monday.
On Tuesday, Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press tweeted that she heard from several people that Andretti was trying to get Colton Herta, who drives for Andretti Autosport at IndyCar, into an F1 car for the Friday practice leading up to the United States Grand Prix this weekend Circuit of the Americas.
Then an hour later Racing driver reports that neither the rumored announcement of Andretti’s takeover of the Alfa Romeo team nor Herta’s potential training run at COTA is to be expected.
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Even so, a lot happens in a very short time. Why the rush? The impetus could be Herta’s need to collect more points in order to qualify for a super license that all F1 drivers must have. To get a super license, you need 40 points, which are awarded for placements in different racing series and added up over a period of three years.
Herta currently has 32, although the drivers are award a point for every F1 free practice they participate in. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIA has also thrown a kind of lifeline for new drivers as the Indianapolis star explained:
With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIA issued an amendment; A driver can choose three of his last four years to earn 40 points. This “exuberant” year does not have to be 2020. Also, if a rider has scored 30 points adding three of his last four years but can claim that he was unable to score 40 because of “circumstances beyond his control or for reasons of force majeure,” the FIA has The leeway to issue a license.
Taking into account this addendum to the regulations, Herta could qualify with his Indy Lights runner-up title 2018 – if the Indy Lights season according to the FIA rules was not contested by enough drivers to count. Perhaps the FIA could grant an exception; Still, I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for Herta and Andretti when they actually believe that the team will find their way onto the F1 grid next year.
All of which would explain why Andretti would like Herta to get seat times during F1 practice sessions as soon as possible. But even then, there are only six races left in the current season, not to mention the massive, time-consuming adaptation of the driving style required for the transition from IndyCar to F1 – and vice versa – necessary to be competitive.
It would be exciting to see Herta make the leap and join in Valtteri Bottas in a car with Andretti livery next season, there should be a car with Andretti livery next season. The 21-year-old, six-time IndyCar race winner has piqued his interest in an F1 career known beforehand. Maybe he’ll get this chance in 2022, maybe he’ll have to wait. Either way, if everything goes according to Andretti’s plan, it seems to be going one way or the other.
The post Colton Herta’s Formula 1 future becomes real: report first appeared on monter-une-startup.
