21-year-old American open-wheel racing driver Colton Herta is known for his moves at the NTT IndyCar Series. This season at the NTT IndyCar Series, he is representing Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agrajanian.
Racing comes naturally to Colton Herta. Well, it runs in his blood. Colton is the prodigal son of IndyCar and Champ Car driver Bryan Herta. Recently in 2019, Colton even became the youngest person ever to win an IndyCar Classic Series race (Austin).
If you are a Formula 1 fan like most Americans, you have already heard the possibility of Colton Herta joining Formula 1. It didn’t surprise anyone because Herta moving from IndyCar to Formula 1 makes perfect sense.
Even though his shot at the 20th and final open seat on the F1 Grid is a seemingly possible rumour at the moment, fans know that competing in F1 will be no problem for Herta.
Colton Herta 2021: Is Colton Herta joining the F1 Grid?
Herta’s IndyCar colleague, 22-year-old Mexican race car driver Patricio O’Ward confirmed that Colton would do great if he were to join the Formula 1 grid next year. At just 21 years of age, Herta has emerged as a shock name to enter the fold and take the last Alfa Romeo seat for the next season.
His strong ties to Andretti Autosport have become a potential factor since Andretti Autosport is planning to take over the Sauber Group, including Alfa Romeo’s Formula 1 operation.
Mario Andretti has expressed great interest in Colton Herta joining Formula 1 and admitted “some action going on” concerning Herta’s potential move to Alfa. This may be in the works, especially if Mario Andretti’s son Michael takes over the Hinwil-based team.
Everyone has noticed that Herta has been heavily linked with a seat in recent times. The talks of Andretti Autosport buying Sauber and taking over Alfa Romeo become more prominent.
Many in Formula 1 would like to see an American driver on the Grid. Colton Herta perfectly fits the description, as he also drives for the outfit’s IndyCar Team. If such a thing happens and if the takeover of Sauber is successful, Colton Herta would be the favored partner of Valtteri Bottas.
Mario Andretti and his son, Michael Andretti, are extremely keen on having an American in the Formula 1 Series. If that happens, Colton Herta would be the man for the job.
When we see Herta racing on the Grid, we know he is going to be the one to root for. If you, as a fan, see Colton’s potential that the game wizards are predicting, then you can rest assured of a podium finish for him. Don’t forget to support your favourite Formula 1 racer through F1 latest odds in DraftKings sportsbook.
Is Colton Herta ready to join the Formula 1 grid?
Most older Formula 1 fans would argue that Colton Herta isn’t yet ready to make it to the F1 American dream team. So, is Colton ready to join the Formula 1 grid?
The only disadvantage Colton Herta could possibly have would be his age. But, even at just 21 years of age, he has a better limit as a driver than anyone else in the IndyCar Series. On the timing sheets, Colton records half-second faster than any of his fellow competitors in the races. He’s also the only one who can manage passing half the field in just 30 laps on a street circuit.
Colton Herta races always have a strong possibility of finishing first, even though the bets are placed.
Fellow young racers, namely Patricio O’ Ward and Alex Palou may have beat him in the championship, but Colton’s proposition to join the Formula 1 grid remains more or less certain, backed by Mario and Michael Andretti.
If the Sauber takeover is confirmed, Colton Herta’s transition to Formula 1 will be smooth. Many fans have raised the question that both Romain Grosjean and Alexander Rossi have F1 experience and may make it back, but Herta has proved his worth. Colton Herta has been Andretti Autosports’ best driver in any given series for two years straight.
Besides, the other Indy Lights prospect Kyle Kirkwood is years away from worrying about moving out of the IndyCar Classic Series and finding a spot in Formula 1.
Colton Herta’s resume is filled with numerous accolades and accomplishments that deem him fit to join the Formula 1 grid. Among his most prominent ones, Herta is a six-time race winner. He has finished seventh, fifth, and third in the IndyCar series.
Colton Herta’s strengths as a race driver have often been compared to Scott Dixon. Dixon himself is a six-time champion, and he has won seven races in the seven stretch.
What is preventing Colton Herta from joining the Formula 1 grid?
If there is one thing that is preventing Colton Herta from joining the Formula 1 grid, it is the fact that he isn’t yet qualified for the Superlicense. Standing at 32 of 40 points, Herta isn’t qualified for the Superlicense in the F1 arcane system that is designed to prevent Red Bull from promoting a race car driver to Formula 1 after just one year. This is what they did with Max Verstappen.
This is mainly because the system is designed to only promote drivers through Formula 2. Here, any position in the top three automatically qualifies an experienced driver for a guaranteed Formula 1 seat next year.
Unfortunately, since Herta falls above the 30-point threshold, he falls within the range of the force majeure clause. This clause allows the series to award the Superlicense to a driver who has yet not reached the point total for reasons only beyond the driver’s control.
This clause was initially designed for drivers unfortunately affected by the COVID-19 situation in early 2020. All things aside, if Formula 1 wants Colton Herta on the Grid, they can easily waive an exception to allow him on the Grid. Therefore, there is a real chance that we will see Colton Herta joining Formula 1.
So far, this is all we know about Colton Herta joining Formula 1. However, we can confirm that the prospective Colton Herta and F1 story will be a big one! He is going to make it to the Formula 1 grid any day now!