by VALERIO BARRETTA
Herta focuses on IndyCar
It is not a Formula 1 for young people, or perhaps it never has been. If it is true that in recent years the minor leagues and the work of the Academy allow them to debut relatively earlier than what was done not long ago, it is also true that these kids are asked for everything immediately, without private tests to act as wealth of experience before the “big day”.
In short, more quantity and less quality. A dynamic that involves a more serious problem: those who don't have the fortune and the merit of making their debut as kids or little more (like Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell or Lando Norris, just to name the most famous recent examples) find themselves even more difficult. And it can happen that a boy who turns 24 in March – Colton Herta – already feels cut off from this world.
Herta's words
“I've probably reached the age limit to land in Formula 1, regardless of Andretti. I have nothing to say about them, I think the goal is still to have a Formula 1 team, and they are still trying. If this happens we will have to see what the times will be and at what point I will be in my life. For me, right now, the main focus is IndyCar, then we'll see how it ends“, said the American.
We need results
Herta had been listed as a potential AlphaTauri driver for the 2023 season. The FIA did not grant exemptions, however, and in Faenza they opted for Nyck de Vries, who had impressed Helmut Marko in his Formula 1 racing debut in Monza. Now Herta's only chances, tenth in the last championship, seem to be the US teams. Haas could be interested in the Hülkenberg-Magnussen post in order to strengthen its American DNA, Andretti must first find an agreement with Liberty Media on commercial discussions. But Herta, above all, needs to achieve results in IndyCar: to race in Formula 1 you need 40 points in the last three years, Herta has only collected two between 2022 and 2023.
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