Colton Herta, AlphaTauri Reportedly Have a Super License-Contingent F1 Agreement
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Helmut Marko, Red Bull's lead advisor on all things driving talent, has reportedly informed Formula 1 journalist Chris Medland of a provisional agreement for the company's second team, AlphaTauri, to hire American IndyCar star Colton Herta in 2023. While all parties are reportedly in agreement, any actual deal would be contingent on Herta being awarded a superlicense.
The move would come in concert with an expected deal between Alpine and current AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, which Marko reportedly suggested would be part of the same agreement. Gasly is currently under contract with AlphaTauri, so the team would be willingly letting their 2020 race winner go.
If approved, Herta would be the first American Formula 1 driver since his current IndyCar teammate Alexander Rossi and the first to start a season with a team since Scott Speed ran his final partial season with the team then known as Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2007. He would also be the first direct crossover from American open wheel racing to Formula 1 since four-time ChampCar World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais joined the same team in 2008.
Herta's final hurdle is licensing. The modern super license system was implemented in 2016 to block off the path Red Bull previously used to fast track Max Verstappen to Formula 1, adding barriers for total experience meant to be hit over the final three years of a typical development arc. Those barriers are divided into points handed out almost exclusively by championship standings, but the point distribution is heavily skewed in favor of Formula 1's own ladder system and against any other racing series: While IndyCar is the second-highest weighted series in the world with 40 points on offer to the series champion, the less-competitive Formula 2 series gives 40 points for any driver between first and third and rewards all equivalent points two positions lower. In IndyCar, it means a driver effectively has to finish in the top three twice in three seasons to qualify.
That means Herta, with finishes of seventh, fifth, and third in his three full IndyCar seasons to date, is still a few points short at 32. A few adjustments were added during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing drivers to use any three of four seasons and opening up the possibility that drivers with 30 or more points can be granted a license by the FIA anyway. At the moment, this is Herta's best chance to land a super license.
If Herta does not get the approval to bypass the point requirement, he has a few other pathways to earn some additional points. He can still gather a few in IndyCar this year if he moves back into the top ten in the series standings in the category's final two races. Successful free practice sessions award invidiual points, although this can happen only once per event and Formula 1 does not have enough events left for Herta to get to 40 points on these alone. Herta could also theoretically earn an additional five for winning the Macau Grand Prix, but that race will not be contested with FIA Formula 3 cars this year.
As the driver these rules were designed to keep out in the future is the currently-reigning world champion and looks destined to claim his second straight title later this season, there are good reasons to question why this whole point system exists at all. Herta has long since proven he can complete a season of top-level open wheel racing safely, while this format licensed a questionably qualified driver in Nikita Mazepin just last season. Whether Herta's case is successful or not, the entire affair reflects poorly on the FIA and Formula 1's focus on its own development ladder over the greater racing world.
Marko reportedly expects a decision from the FIA by next weekend's race at Monza. In a matter of days, Herta will either know if he is a Formula 1 driver next season or not.
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