American IndyCar driver and McLaren protégé Colton Herta was recently allowed to test for the Formula One team and said he was ready to take on the other drivers in the category. There are rumors in the motorsport world that McLaren was also very impressed with the 22-year-old American.
American IndyCar driver and McLaren protégé Colton Herta was recently allowed to test for the Formula One team and said he was ready to take on the other drivers in the category. There are rumors in the motorsport world that McLaren was also very impressed with the 22-year-old American.
Liberty Media's (the owners of F1) big shortage is of an American driver. The company is trying to increase the popularity of the sport in the United States. They are mainly working on introducing more races in the USA, but there is also a demand for an American driver. With Colton Herta, this could be achieved.
The seat of McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo could come under heavy pressure with the promising Herta. The eight-time GP winner is still underperforming in his second season with the team, so a new force behind the wheel could be an option for McLaren. Especially since the team was very impressed with Herta during F1 testing.
Indy reporter and former driver Townsend Bell said, "I hear around me from various sources that McLaren was super impressed with Colton Herta. That shows how good the level of competition is in Indy right now."
Bell is focusing mainly on the positive meaning of the reports for Indy, but for F1 it could also mean that McLaren is seriously considering bringing Herta into the team. That would be wish fulfillment for American fans and Liberty Media, but for Ricciardo it would just be bad news.