Herta surprised by Red Bull’s interest in signing him for 2023
Herta was surprised by the Red Bull announcement concerning him. The Indy Car driver, who is still waiting to see if the FIA will grant him his super license, did not expect such interest from an F1 team.
After Red Bull’s announcement of their interest in Herta, the driver was surprised to see his name being mentioned by the team. Red Bull would like to offer him a spot in the AlphaTauri team after Gasly’s likely departure to Alpine.
This is actually the constraint that the team has put in place to let Gasly go. If Herta doesn’t come, then Gasly won’t be able to leave.
The big problem for Herta and therefore for Red Bull is that he doesn’t have the super license yet, which is necessary to participate in the Formula 1 World Championship. The driver doesn’t have the required number of points to obtain it.
The FIA has taken on the case to see if they can grant him the super license despite not reaching the required number of points. But this could pose a major issue in Formula 2 and 3. Drivers might then think that they can access F1 without having the necessary number of points.
Herta, on her side, is eagerly awaiting the decision. Such an opportunity is not given to everyone. The driver is also tied long-term to McLaren, with whom he tested a 2021 Formula 1 car in Portimao. The driver made a strong impression and will most likely have some free practice sessions by the end of the year.
“When I heard about the interest, it was a bit of a surprise because I didn’t think I was on anyone else’s radar. Everyone at McLaren seemed really pleased with how the test went and how physically and mentally prepared I was,” the driver expressed about Red Bull’s interest in him.
Herta also shared his thoughts on the points system in IndyCar compared to Formula 2. He believes that IndyCar deserves more points because of the level of competitiveness in the series.
« The FIA wants to protect its ladder series and wants its drivers to go through their system. But I believe IndyCar deserves a little more recognition in addition to being divided between F3 and F2 for points. »
The IndyCar driver wants to take a step back for a little while to focus on his IndyCar season, in which he is currently 10th.
« I told my father to keep a little distance from me so that I could focus on IndyCar. It’s a challenging matter, it involves many aspects that I might be surprised to read.
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This situation could unlock quite a few things in Formula 1, especially the move from AlphaTauri to Red Bull for Gasly.
