« if Ferrari calls Herta, I’ll let him go »
Colton Herta, 21-year-old son of Bryan Herta, is doing wonders in the IndyCar Series. He signed this Sunday in St. Petersburg his fourth career victory and is unanimous in the paddock, to the point that his boss, Michael Andretti, thinks he can attract the curiosity of F1 teams.
Colton Herta rides for the Andretti Autosport, and his boss thinks the phone might start ringing at the performance of his protégé.
Is Colton Herta interested in F1?
The weekend Andretti was rather celebrating since Colton Herta transformed his pole position into victory at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, as for Jake Dennis, he did the same in Formula E at the E-Prix of Valencia 2 on behalf of the BMW i Andretti.
« From a selfish point of view, I hope he will ride for me for many, many, many years, » Michael Andretti told RACER. « But again, I don’t want to get in his way. »
« If a team like Ferrari calls it, I’m not going to stand in its way about it, » Andretti continues. “But if any of the teams in the last or second last in the championship over there calls, then I might say, ‘I’d rather he stayed here.’ I would do him a favor by keeping him away from these teams. I know a lot of these guys out there now and cheer him on if it’s a good situation. «
Even if for the moment, Colton Herta is concentrating on his IndyCar Series program, the young American driver does not yet appear in the small papers of the F1 teams. Nevertheless, having made his classes in the promotion formulas in Europe, as at Carlin, the driver keeps an eye on F1.
« Any conversation about Formula 1 doesn’t mean much to me unless you’re ready to sign a contract, » Herta said. « There are so, so many unknowns and things that never end up happening. »
“People can say whatever they want, but the point is, until it happens, it doesn’t mean anything. I would be interested, of course. I think it’s a little unrealistic and almost arrogant, in a way, to just say, « I have to be on a top 3 team. » I think you have to work to make this happen. «
