IndyCar’s Colton Herta Close to F1 Seat Pending Super License Decision

Helmut Marko said the agreement hinges on if the FIA grants an exception for the IndyCar driver to obtain a Super License.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told reporter Chris Medland that an agreement was reached to bring on Colton Herta, pending the FIA’s decision on his super license. 

The IndyCar driver has been linked to AlphaTauri, the junior program of Red Bull. It has been publicly confirmed that Pierre Gasly has a contract with AlphaTauri for next season; however, Alpine has shown interest in the Frenchman. 

Herta, who is a F1 testing driver for McLaren and IndyCar driver for Andretti Autosport, needs an exemption from the FIA as he only has 32 of the 40 points needed for a Super License. 

“Astonishingly enough, all of the parties and teams involved, we found an agreement,” Marko said to SpeedCity Broadcasting on SiriusXM. “First we have to get a definite answer (from the FIA) and I think it should be by Monza … Monza I would say.”

Marko was then asked if this would cause a Gasly move to Alpine or if these are separate. He responded, “No, if the deal works, then it happens in Monza, also for Pierre of course.”

A Herta exception, though, is a controversial one with some feeling he does not meet the requirements. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali told Autosport earlier this week, “The sport needs to respect the rules. And, of course, American drivers or other drivers are very important. If he is eligible to come in F1 because he has the points, it’s fantastic news.

“But there is a ladder to follow, there is a protocol to respect, and that is the situation. So it’s really what I believe is right to do.”

Herta, though, has won seven IndyCar races, which Marko feels is “comparable to Grand Prix races.” 

The IndyCar driver told The Associated Press on Friday that he is tuning down the F1 rumors until the end of the season, with the last race being on the same weekend as the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. 

“There’s nothing I want to talk about right now. I just want to focus on these last two weekends and have a little bit of time to decompress and figure out what’s going on during the offseason,” Herta said to the AP. “I told my Dad, he’s been handling all my management things, I told him ‘I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to deal with it, I just want to finish the season.’

“And then we’ll look at the options and see if I have any.”