Remy Ramjiawan
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes it would be a mistake for the FIA to exclude Colton Herta for the first class with AlphaTauri next year. The American driver lacks the necessary points in his super licence, and the Italian team hopes the FIA will be lenient with that.
Herta is the intended replacement for Pierre Gasly in AlphaTauri. The 26-year-old Frenchman has wanted to go up the ladder for some time, but is working against a glass ceiling with the Italian team. There are opportunities to take a step, as it depends on the departure of Sergio Perez from Red Bull Racing. The Mexican still has a contract until the end of 2024, so Gasly will have to be patient for a while if he wants to move to the sister team. Alpine has a seat left with the departure of Fernando Alonso and the French team is said to be eager to take on Gasly, but AlphaTauri will only let him go if the team can hire Herta themselves.
AlphaTauri goes for the exception
The IndyCar driver is interested in switching to Formula 1, but loses points on his super license. To participate in the Premier League, the driver must collect 40 points, but Herta currently only has 32 points. Even if the American participated in all seven remaining free practices, he would still be short on points. Fewer points are awarded for performance in the American racing category than in Formula 2 or Formula 3 and AlphaTauri sees this as force majeure and therefore hopes to get an exception from the FIA.
opponents
The Ferrari boss is hoping the Motorsports federation will enforce the rules and is therefore against a possible exception. “The force majeure argument cannot be used in Hertha. This would be a completely wrong approach. The regulations are in place to protect our sport and to ensure that the correct processes and choices are made for our sport itself,” he said. The Italian has nothing against Herta personally, but the IndyCar driver simply has to comply with the rules. “Hertha can participate in the tournament if he has [bereikt] What do you do and nothing else. This is very important and we will definitely be watching what the FIA will do in this regard. And every team will do that, because for the sake of our sport, we cannot have force majeure in a situation that is not force majeure, especially in this case,” Binotto said.
change the rule
With opposition to the AlphaTauri plan mounting, team boss Franz Tost has suggested that the FIA should consider changing the rule to make the switch easier for IndyCar drivers. “That’s a question you should ask the FIA because there is a regulation, and if the FIA wants to change something, we will support it,” Tost said. He continues, “If it is necessary to allow him to drive on the first free practice, we will do whatever is required.” If the FIA does not act, Gasly will have to stay with the Italian team. “The latest news on Pierre is that he has signed a contract with us. As for Colton Hertha, the decision of the FIA is whether to get a super license or not. I hope the FIA will make that decision as soon as possible so that we know how to build the team. Where are we going next year?”
