Colton Herta has been linked to Red Bull as a possible replacement for Pierre Gasly at his junior team, AlphaTauri, should the Frenchman become free to join Alpine.
However, Herta only has 32 of the 40 points needed to obtain a super license, unless the FIA finds a cause of force majeure to grant it, something that they are already studying as it was announced a few days ago.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko said they were confident the American driver could be super-licensed if they reach a deal for the 2023 season.
“I think we can show that he has a right to it,” he said. “We will see. It is not done yet, the deal. But we will go for it if it is done. We are Red Bull and we are brave, and we are confident and we hope to be successful with it.”
However, rival teams from the Austrian structure do not believe that making an exception for Herta is the right thing to do, with Alfa Romeo’s Fred Vasseur and Haas’ Gunther Steiner making their position very clear publicly.
And what is more important, Domenicali , general director of the category, has supported his position, although the organization of Formula 1 has nothing to say in the superlicense process.
“We have to respect the rules,” he told Motorsport.com . “And of course the American drivers are very important to us. If he meets the requirements to come to F1 by getting the points that are needed and so on, that would be fantastic news.”
“But there are some rules to follow, there is a protocol to respect, and that is the only real situation.”
As for the calls for a change in the points awarded in IndyCar, Domenicali said: “I don’t think it’s right to change something afterwards, I think it’s right to apply the current rules.”
“And if there is any point that needs to be discussed, if there is a need to update the rules, there is a forum where everyone can contribute their ideas or points of view to start a discussion.”
“But today, the rule is what it is and it should be respected. That’s my opinion.”
The director of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff , also supported his teammates Vasseur and Steiner, stressing that the rules must be respected equally for everyone.
“It would be great to have an American driver in F1,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com about the Herta case. “And obviously it would give us another big push in the States. But I think the points system is there for a reason.”
“We don’t want to create a system where you try to choose which series are more or less relevant. I think the F4/F3/F2 tier is something that works in Europe.”
“Perhaps you have to look at IndyCar specifically, or Super Formula, to make them score better.”
“But the regulations are the regulations, and there are ways that Americans can somehow score enough points to make it to F1,” Wolff concluded.
