Herta’s F1 super license plight shows that IndyCar is “very undervalued” by the FIA ​​· RaceFans

Colton Herta deserves to qualify for a Formula 1 super license based on his performance in IndyCar this year, his rival Patricio O’Ward told RaceFans.

The 21-year-old is slated to move to F1 in the near future as his Andretti team has been linked to a takeover of Sauber, which runs the Alfa Romeo Grand Prix team.

However, despite an IndyCar résumé of six wins and seven pole positions, Herta falls eight points short of the 40 required to qualify for an F1 super license. O’Ward believes this is because the FIA ​​is giving too few points to IndyCar compared to other series.

“Of course, I totally agree,” said O’Ward when asked if IndyCar is undervalued by the FIA’s superlicense point system. “I think Colton is more than good enough to compete with the best in the world. And I think there are many drivers at IndyCar who are able to challenge the best in the world. “

Compared to IndyCar, the results of the drivers in F2 and even many final placements in F3 are rated the same or higher:

A total of 124 Super License Points are awarded to IndyCar drivers per season, compared to 128 in the F3 and 201 in the F2. But O’Ward believes IndyCar is one of the hardest championships to win in motorsport and many of its drivers could compete in F1.

Some super license holders are not at the F1 level, says O’Ward F1 Car at Yas Marina in December. “But IndyCar, based on talent, is not far away. And it’s probably just as much talent as in Formula 1.

“It’s full of very capable guys and very, very competitive, especially the way things are going now. I think it’s really undervalued.

“If there is a championship that is arguably the hardest to win, I would probably choose IndyCar just because it is so competitive and there is no comparable series. There are a lot of talented drivers in Formula 1, but they’re not the same in all cars so they can’t really compete for championships instead of maybe three or four cars belonging to two different teams.

“So I think IndyCar is very underrated, very undervalued. If I were to make the rules, I would say that at least the top three in the championship deserve 40 points because it is a very, very difficult championship to fight in. “

Display | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden previously said that F1 “looks down” at the level of competition in America, a view O’Ward echoed.

“It’s a bit of a disappointment to see people look down on it and it’s always ‘Formula 1, Formula 1’,” he said. “Why does everything have to be just a championship?

Feature: F1 wants a US driver, but an IndyCar pipeline doesn’t suit anyone“There are so many different series in the world that are very interesting and great and I think IndyCar is one of them. I feel like it’s very undervalued for what it is and for how much time and effort and in general how hard it is to compete there and be competitive there, it’s really, really tough. “

O’Ward says it would be a shame if the F1 super license points system prevented Herta from taking an opportunity to race in the series.

“I really hope this doesn’t limit Colton’s chance to get into Formula 1 because I think he’s more than capable of competing there,” he said.

“It’s not that he gets involved and beats everyone – firstly because he won’t be in a championship car, but secondly it will take time to understand the tires and the different tracks and the different driving styles. Everything will take time.

“But he is more than capable of being strong and I believe that if the opportunity presents itself, he should be given the chance. The limitation shouldn’t be the license, because unfortunately there are a lot more people with a super license that doesn’t match the level of many people without a super license, and I find the system a bit strange. “

Display | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

IndyCar

Browse all IndyCar articles

Share this RaceFans article with your network: