“We have found an agreement,” Helmut Marko confirms AlphaTauri is in advance talks over Colton Herta’s signature for 2023
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Helmet and Colton
Helmut Marko, the Red Bull team adviser, has revealed that IndyCar driver Colton Herta and AlphaTauri have found an agreement over the potential of him joining the Faenza-based team for the 2023 F1 season.
However, it has also been made public that any deal for the American depends on FIA relaxing its Super license rules to allow Herta to switch codes.
Moreover, the Red Bull’s sister team’s hot pursuit of Herta has also been triggered by Pierre Gasly’s expected switch to the Alpine F1 team for the 2023 season.
If Colton Herta is somehow able to join AlphaTauri next season, it will make him the first-ever American after Alexander Rossi to participate in the pinnacle motor racing that is F1.
However, Herta is not going to be able to amass enough points in the remaining races of the IndyCar series that would allow him to secure enough points for the super license.
It is the prevailing belief that Herta’s tally from the two previous years will be added to this year’s score with the exception made for Covid-19. As things stand, Herta is sitting on 32 which is not going to be enough to fulfill the required threshold.
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Helmut Marko’s take on Colton Herta’s dicey situation in F1
Helmut Marko and Co. are hard at work to get a relaxation and the Austrian while talking about Herta’s situation said, “Astonishingly enough, all of the parties and teams involved, we found an agreement.”
“First, we have to get a definite answer [from the FIA] and I think it should be by Monza – Monza I would say.”
The 79-year-old has also delved into the position of Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine and whether it is separate from Herta’s AlphaTauri move, and has said, “No, if the deal works then it happens in Monza, also for Pierre of course.”
“We looked at the regulations, we discussed it with the FIA, and because of Covid, there’s a special regulation that you can take three years [from four] and also if one result isn’t maximum points and outside the driver’s [hands] they can give the points.“
“So it’s nothing unreasonable. He won seven IndyCar races and that’s comparable to a Grand Prix I think, so it would be a shame if he wouldn’t get a super license.”
Helmut Marko desperately wants to see Colton Herta at AlphaTauri next season and considering the current state of the negotiations, it is safe to stay that the ball is in the court of the FIA and it is going to be up to them to make their stance clear on the 22-year-old’s delicate situation.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)