If Colton Herta continues to perform as he uncorked on the NTT IndyCar Series field in St. Petersburg, his team owner will be prepared for the phone to ring for Formula 1 teams interested in the 21-year-old’s availability manifest.
“From a selfish point of view, I hope he will drive for me for many, many, many years,” Michael Andretti told RACER. “On the other hand, I don’t want to stand in his way.”
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Andretti’s own saga-filled F1 trip in 1993 left the 1991 CART champion with a strong opinion on how to nurture young American talent as they transition to Grand Prix racing. Without naming the tail-enders, there are some calls that would be answered while others would be quickly sent to voicemail.
“If a team like Ferrari calls him, I won’t stand in his way,” said Andretti. “But if one of the teams in penultimate or penultimate place in the championship calls there, I could say, ‘Yeah, I want to keep you here.’ I would do him a favor by keeping him out of these teams. I know a lot of these people there now and would encourage it if it is a good situation. “
For Herta, who delivered a great Sunday for Andretti with the win in the Honda No. 26, while his stable mate Jake Dennis took his first win for BMW i Andretti Motorsport in Formula E, the charm of F1 remains. After spending some of his early open-wheel days in Europe as part of the Carlin Racing team, F1 has always been a destination, but the talk is cheap for the pragmatic Californian.
“Any conversation about Formula 1 is of little use to me unless you put pen on paper,” said Herta. “There are so many unknowns and things that never happen. People can say anything they want, but the fact is, until it happens it doesn’t mean anything. I would be interested in that, of course. I find it kind of unrealistic and in a way almost arrogant to say, “Well, I have to be on a top 3 team.” I think you have to work for it. “
What a car this team gave me yesterday !!!!! Still at the peak of @GPSTPETE’s win, perfect job from everyone !!! #AllAndretti // #Gainbridge // #PoweredByHonda pic.twitter.com/Boev4Kw4Tu
– Colton Herta (@ColtonHerta) April 26, 2021
While his team owner would hate to see Herta’s name on the side of a Haas F1 car or something similar, the driver in question wouldn’t be against the idea if it were part of a larger plan.
“Honestly, if I got the call to go to Haas or something, it would be something I would be interested in, but only if it came from a Ferrari supported program and then I had the opportunity to move up.” Said Herta.
“I’m not going to go there and sign a three year deal just with Gene Haas, but I would sign a deal with Ferrari and if they put me in a car like that, I would drive it and try to get on a top team. “
Herta received a congratulatory message from an F1 team boss on Sunday and hopes to receive an invitation to take part in an F1 test for young drivers, not least later in the year.
“People are definitely watching, and I would love it if nothing else comes out of it, just test a Formula 1 car,” he said. “Because I’m sure that even the bad cars feel amazingly good.”
The post When Ferrari calls Herta, I’m not in the way – Andretti first appeared on monter-une-startup.
