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F1 not a "for sure thing" says Herta

NEWS STORY
17/01/2025

Linked with the new Cadillac team, IndyCar star Colton Herta insists that switching to F1 is not a certainty.

A former development driver with McLaren, the American lacked the required superlicence points when Red Bull sought to place him with AlphaTauri for 2023, having previously been linked with Andretti - for whom he drives in IndyCar - at the time the American outfit was seeking to buy Sauber as its means of entering the sport.

While Michael Andretti is no longer involved in the F1 project, it moves forward, albeit under the guise of Cadillac, and understandably Herta is being linked with the team's proposed entry in 2026.

However, the 24-year-old, son of IndyCar champion Bryan Herta, and the youngest driver ever to win an IndyCar race, played down talk linking him to the new outfit.

"I've kind of been dragged around in this talk for, it feels like, half a decade now," he said, according to Speedcafe{/}. "I've had the carrot in front of me for a while."

Despite now being eligible for a superlicence, having finished IndyCar runner-up last season, Herta insists that he doesn't see F1 as the be all and end all.

"I'm kind of tired of that being the case," he said, "I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning a championship, and if something arises out of that, I'd have to think about it.

"It's still not a for sure thing," he added. "All my friends and family are here in the US, and I don't know anybody where I'm going, so it's a big decision to make if I have to make that decision."

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READERS COMMENTS

 

1. Posted by ffracer, 20/01/2025 4:46

"Absolutely love Colton Herta, very exciting to watch (and absolutely hilarious on the radio when papa Bryan tries talking stategy with him from the pit wall) and always so gracious with fans. Naturally, I would love for this fan favorite Andretti driver to be included in their next project ... but I'd be surprised as he might need to be more consistency, at this stage in his career, like current Indycar champion and F1 "signing" Alex Palou ( I know it's still raw for some), my humble 2 pence."

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2. Posted by kenji, 16/01/2025 21:53

"@Max Noble....Your comment seems to fit the bill appropriately... but not with Herta. It may well be characterised as a work of fiction but the latest 'scoop' doing the rounds is the touting of a supposed billion pound offer to lure Verstappen to the 'Green Bulls'...a revitalised team in the making! Herta is just one of the many vying for headline notice. F1 currently enjoys an embarrassment of riches when it comes to likely talent on offer. The 'House Full' flag is fluttering over the paddock, powered by the winds of change that's already upon us. Without any malevolent intent one could possibly say that there are 'too many high wire acts and only one circus'!"

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3. Posted by Max Noble, 16/01/2025 11:03

"And there we have the salary negotiation on a plate… “Make me an offer no sane man could refuse…”
"

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4. Posted by kenji, 16/01/2025 2:01

"It is one thing to achieve results in one series and expect that to carry over into a different series with hugely varied specifications. What we need to see are some results on track before making accurate comparisons. Given that there is no room left at the 'inn' he'd be best served looking elsewhere. IMO. All thaqt aside I can sympathise with his frustration.....drivers just want to drive! That's their entire 'raison d'etre'"

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5. Posted by Burton, 15/01/2025 12:49

"Regardless of peak performance, this type of driver capable of the spectacular and with brilliant car control would be completely wasted in this era of F1 with crap tyres and very prescriptive inputs."

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