The American emerged as a candidate for AlphaTauri One seat must be available if Pierre Gasly Going to Alps.
Drivers need 40 points to gain an edge based on their top three performances over the previous four seasons, with an additional year now included to cover years affected by COVID-19.
Heading into 2023, Herta will only have 32 points based on his three best results in the IndyCar Championship, and he can also earn points for any FP1 tournaments he runs this year. However, it will still be less than the required 40.
The FIA is currently studying How force majeure can be used to strengthen Hertha’s case.
While an American’s arrival in the 2023 grid would boost the sport as a whole, team bosses have questioned how Hertha would qualify.
“In my view, it has nothing to do with force majeure,” he said. Alfa Romeo Team boss Fred Wasser when asked about Hertha’s licensing claim.
“Because you have trophies everywhere in the world I was able to score points.
“Now, if the FIA wants to stop the points process and excel, that’s another story. They can do that, and it’s up to them to decide if they want to stop the system. And we can survive without the system. But I have nothing to do with force majeure.”
“I think we have a system if we want to change it or if someone has a suggestion to change the attribution of points, we can discuss it.”
Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda
Photography: Philip Abbott / motorsports pictures
Vasseur stressed that the system was in place to keep up with standards on the F1 grid.
“You have to keep in mind that when we made the decision on supremacy and points, it was about protecting F1 and the drivers, to avoid having 10 drivers coming into F1 with big budgets and no results in the past, and taking 50% of the grid.
“The reason for the decision was this, we did it on purpose. And I think it was a good decision. Now it’s another question to see if we should assign different points to IndyCar or to F3 or F2.
“And I don’t want to make any comparison, either, because from year to year, it’s completely different.”
Wasser admitted that Alpha had previously looked into the Hertha case: “Last year we had discussions with Andretti. It’s no secret. Herta was on the table, and he didn’t qualify for a supremacy at this point.”
Haas boss Gunther Steiner warned that supremacy requirements should be respected like any other regulation.
“I’ll talk more in general,” he said. “I think we have rules and regulations, we have to respect them. If we don’t respect our own rules and try to find ways to get around them, I don’t think that’s right.”
“I mean, we can then apply that to other things as well, but I’m not talking about Colton, but in general about the rules.
“We made it ourselves, we signed it, there’s governance, and we have to respect it. Force majeure coming or not, it’s a moot point. But as Fred said, I think COVID was everywhere. It didn’t stop any racing series.
“I’m one of them saying if you have rules, if you don’t respect them, and just try to find ways around why do we have rules? Then we need to change the rules. That’s a different matter of discussion. If you want to change the rules, let’s talk about it.”
“Again, there’s a system of governance, you can’t change the rules for tomorrow. It takes time. So if you think it’s wrong, I mean, we had a very similar problem a few years ago. [with Nikita Mazepin]And we did not find the rules around it. We’ve just worked with her and put the points in, so I think that’s what you have to do in cases like this.”
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT03
Photography: Mark Sutton / motorsports pictures
Steiner acknowledged the high-profile IndyCar driver should be eligible to race in F1, but stressed that the rules still had to be followed.
“I mean, there are quite a few drivers who are very superior,” he said. “I suspect Alexander Rossi and Joseph Newgarden. They got the edge, and they did it within the rules.
“Like I said, we can discuss it if we need to change it. I wasn’t a part of it when those rules were made. So I don’t know on what basis it was based or why it was chosen, and the points system is what it is now.”
“If you want to change the rule, let’s discuss it, and then fix it for the future, if you think it’s wrong. But there has to be agreement among the stakeholders in it.”
Unlike his peers, Andreas Seidl, who McLaren The team recently gave Herta his first test in F1 and is eager to see AlphaTauri get his chance, and believes he should get a helping hand from the FIA.
“I think in general we believe in the system, we think it’s a good system in place,” the German said. “But at the same time, we are required to have some flexibility as well.
“Also taking into account the situation in the last two years with COVID and everything, it also had an impact on the results he could score.
“And yes, I’m totally open to having some flexibility in giving a guy like Colton the edge, because at the end of the day, what he’s shown so far in his racing career, I have no doubt he’s fully capable of competing in Formula One.”