The American and his father Bryan , who watches over his son’s interests and directs his IndyCar strategy from the Andretti Autosport team box, are awaiting the FIA’s decision on the super license application .
Colton Herta has 32 of the 40 points required by the FIA system, which means he cannot automatically achieve the go-ahead. The FIA has been asked to study whether there are grounds for granting him a special exemption.
Motorsport.com has learned that the FIA will reject the application because there are no compelling reasons to accept it, so it seems unlikely that Herta will be able to race AlphaTauri in 2023.
Speaking to Motorsport.com about his son’s situation, Bryan Herta said there was no confirmation yet, but they would accept the final decision whatever it was.
“Everyone seems to know before we do!” said. “But I don’t even know if it’s going to be ‘official.’ We haven’t heard anything.”
“It’s a bit sad that it ended up looking like a custom issue, because Colton certainly didn’t want to be a ‘special case.’ of the FIA to protect the European ladder system”.
“I think whatever they say, whatever they decide, it is what it is. There’s no point in discussing it one way or the other.”
However, Herta Sr. believes Colton’s failure to receive a super license for 2023 would not be a definite blow to his long-term Formula 1 aspirations.
“I don’t think he considers his F1 dream to be over, whatever the FIA’s decision is for now,” added Herta Sr. “He has an incredible opportunity in front of him as he is testing with the McLaren F1 team, but he also recognizes that what he has with Andretti Autosport in IndyCar is also an incredible opportunity.
“It’s important to remember that he’s going to be fine no matter what. He’s not going to look for sympathy.”
Herta did not want to confirm if he will look for ways to get extra super license points, such as the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand or play F1 free practice, after finishing the 2022 IndyCar season this weekend in Laguna Seca (California).
Asked about the possibility of Colton doing FP1 with McLaren F1 at the Circuit of the Americas next month, Herta replied: “That’s a question for Zak [Brown, CEO of McLaren]. decided yet, as far as I know.”
“What Colton has is an IndyCar contract with Andretti Autosport and he has a testing contract with McLaren in F1. Both are valid until the end of 2023 provided certain conditions are met.
Michael Andrett i has managed Colton Herta in Indy Lights (six wins) and IndyCar (seven wins). Asked by Motorsport.com if he was surprised that Herta was not given permission to race for the AlphaTauri team in F1 in 2023, Andretti replied: “My only comment on that is that there were too many hurdles to overcome for it to happen.
“The super license issue was just one of those hurdles. But there were a lot of them, believe me.”
On the subject of whether he had faith that Herta was good enough to make it in F1, Andretti replied: “Oh yes, I have no doubts about that.”
