American driver Colton Herta will spend two days driving a McLaren Formula One car this week as part of his testing program with the team.
IndyCar driver Herta, 22, who is widely regarded as the American with the best record entering Formula 1 in the near term, will drive the team’s 2021 F1 car at the Portimao Portuguese circuit on Monday and Wednesday Three.
Herta’s test is to prepare him for a free practice session at a Grand Prix later this year, with the US Grand Prix in October being the most obvious choice.
The Californian has won seven IndyCar races since his debut in 2018.
Formula One is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom in the US but has yet to feature an American driver since Alexander Rossi in 2015.
Herta’s options to join the grid any time soon appear to be limited. Michael Andretti intended Herta to lead the F1 team he proposed, but takeover talks with Alfa Romeo owner Sauber broke down last year.
Herta will likely have to wait until 2024 at the earliest if he wants to take a picture with McLaren as Daniel Ricciardo has an agreement until the end of next year and Lando Norris is bound until 2025.
Riccioardo’s disappointing form this year has sparked speculation McLaren could switch to the Australian driver later this year, with Zak Brown suggesting ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix the team has a “mechanism” to end the deal. early if they want. However, sources close to Ricciardo downplayed the possibility of this scenario to ESPN and said the Australian player fully intends and expects to see his current deal with the team.
America’s hopes for an F1 driver are not limited to Herta. Floridian Logan Sargeant, 21, recently became the first American driver to win a Formula 2 F1 feeder series race. Sargeant is part of Williams’ driving program.
Next year will see the US host three races, with one racing down the iconic strip of Las Vegas taking part in the new Miami Grand Prix and Austin’s famed US Grand Prix.
