Reports: Colton Herta in line for Alpine test amidst interest from AlphaTauri
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Colton Herta
As has been confirmed by Helmut Marko, Colton Herta is a person of interest to the Red Bull family, specifically AlphaTauri. The American driver was earlier touted as a potential replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, but now, that seat has gone to Oscar Piastri. Even though AlphaTauri and Herta have found an agreement, there is still some way to go before Herta can enter F1.
To drive in Formula 1, you need a super license. To qualify for one, you need at least 40 super license points, but Herta does not fulfil that condition, as he has only 32 points. Red Bull are seeking an exemption for Herta in view of his achievements in IndyCar (he has won 7 IndyCar races) but they have not received an answer regarding it.
Mercedes’ reserve driver, Nyck de Vries is in opposition to this, as he believes that it is bad for the system. But Zak Brown, McLaren’s CEO believes that if someone like Herta isn’t eligible, then there is a need to review the Super License system. Amidst all this, he is also set for a test with an old Alpine car, as reported by motorsport.com.
Colton Herta’s super-license exemption chances look slim
The situation is this: If Colton Herta gains the required exemption, he will go to AlphaTauri and replace Pierre Gasly (who does have a contract till 2023). Gasly is considered to be a frontrunner for the Alpine seat, and if everything goes well with the exemption, Alpine will feature an all-French lineup for next year.
The report says that Herta will basically be replacing Oscar Piastri in the driver testing programme: “Sources have revealed that with the IndyCar season now finished, plans are being made for Herta to conduct a private test for Alpine in an old car. This running forms part of the original driver development programme that had originally been set up for Oscar Piastri, but the Australian has now been stood down from following his decision to move to McLaren for 2023.”
Nothing is final, but the plan is to get Herta into the Hungaroring test: “Piastri had been conducting mileage in an A521 from last year in his Alpine programme. Although final plans for the test have not been set in stone, Alpine is hoping it can slot Herta in for the running that will take place at the Hungaroring before the Singapore GP.”
However, this does not mean that Colton Herta is supposed to be a replacement for Fernando Alonso, but rather part of Alpine’s ‘arrangement’ with AlphaTauri. Herta is also apparently in line for an FP1 session with McLaren this year, but there is no confirmation of that either.
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Aniket Tripathi
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