“When Something Is Wrong…”: As American Driver Saga Comes to an End, F1 Given Simple Advice

The F1 silly season is nearing its end, and we almost have a clear picture of the grid for the 2023 season, almost! With Zhou Guanyu confirmed for the 2023 season, only three spots remain. The reaming seats at Haas, Alpine, and Williams will be taken up soon, but none will feature this American driver.

Colton Herta currently practices his trade in the NTT IndyCar Series. He drives for Andretti Autosport and is a massive talent. However, the 22-year-old will not fulfill his Formula 1 dream, at least not in the coming season. Why? Because the FIA confirmed they will not grant Herta a super license, effectively ruling him out of the driver’s market.

This topic, when brought up in the F1’s official podcast, F1 Nation received a unanimous reaction. British Touring Car champ Rickard Rydell, former F1 driver Damon Hill, and reporter Tom Clarkson, all agreed it’s a poor decision to not grant Herta the license.

Rickard Rydell said, “I know you have to follow the rules but when something is wrong, you have to look at it and say ‘okay, we made a mistake here.’ — I think he should definitely be allowed in.”

To this Tom Clarkson added, “All of the ex-F1 guys in IndyCar have all come out in support of Colton. I mean Alexander Rossi and Marcus Ericsson have both said that he deserves a crack at Formula 1. He’s certainly good enough.”

Read More: Amid Recent Colton Herta-F1 Row, McLaren Boss Points Fingers at Champions Max Verstappen & Kimi Raikkonen

Damon Hill also revealed he commented on Rossi’s Instagram post and pointed out the decision makers are all FIA bureaucrats. He also ponders on how can this decision making be fairer and points out past examples.

Damon Hill uses two big F1 names while discussing Colton Herta

Colton Herta does not have enough points to qualify for the super license according to the rules. The same rules Rydell earlier pointed out are causing a mistake.

Building on that, Damon Hill pointed out two big names that wouldn’t have been allowed to race in F1 with Herta’s treatment.

He said, “We’ve had loads of cases in the past. Let’s say Kimi Raikkonen coming from Formula Renault stright into F1. Are we saying we shouldn’t have had Kimi Raikkonen in F1? — Or Max Verstappen.”

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Imagine Formula 1 without Kimi Raikkonen or Max Verstappen. The FIA’s decision to give more points to F2 drivers compared to IndyCar drivers and not letting a young talent into the sport is definitely a wrong one, according to the experts.