23/09/2022
NEWS STORY
The FIA has tonight officially rejected Colton Herta's bid for the superlicence that would have allowed him to compete in the 2023 Formula One World Championship.
The rejection comes after Red Bull gave up on the idea of bringing the American to F1, initially with its AlphaTauri team.
"The FIA confirms that an enquiry was made via the appropriate channels that led to the FIA confirming that the driver Colton Herta does not have the required number of points to be granted an FIA superlicence," read the statement.
In an obvious reference to claims that the superlicence system 'undervalues' IndyCar, the FIA said: "The FIA continuously reviews its regulations and procedures, including with respect to superlicence eligibility, with the main factors being considered with respect to this topic being safety, experience and performance in the context of the pathway."
The current system mandates that drivers need 40 points in order to qualify for the licence while Herta only had 32, and Red Bull's call for special dispensation in the American's case led to an outcry from a number of teams and also F1's CEO, Stefano Domenicali.
"The FIA will not be pressured by any teams into decisions on matters such as superlicence points," said a spokesperson for the sport's governing body. "The FIA President has implemented robust governance, and we will abide by that."
Previously, talking to the official F1 website's Beyond the Grid podcast, and before Red Bull gave up on its bid, Christian Horner called on the FIA to recognise the talent coming out of America and adapt the processes accordingly in order that drivers might make the move to F1.
"America is a huge market and we're seeing that growth in the sport," he said. "It would be great to give arguably the best current American driver an opportunity in Formula 1.
"Unfortunately, the licensing restrictions will probably prevent that from happening," he admitted. "We'll have to respect the FIA's stance, at the end of the day that's down to the FIA to look at. I know that they're doing that but we'll accept whichever decision they come up with. But it's something that needs looking at because it shouldn't be so hard for drivers to transition from America's premier series into Formula 1."