McLaren 'super impressed' with Herta after F1 tests

American IndyCar driver and McLaren protégé Colton Herta was recently allowed to test for the Formula One team and said he was ready to take on the other F1 drivers. There are rumours in the motorsport world that McLaren were also very impressed with the 22-year-old American.

Will Herta be the American to go to F1?

The big miss for Liberty Media (the owners of F1) is an American driver. The company is trying to boost the popularity of the sport in the United States. They are mainly working on introducing more races in the US, but there is also a demand for an American driver. With Colton Herta, this could possibly be achieved. After his F1 test, the American immediately felt fast enough to take on the other F1 drivers.

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo's spot could come under heavy pressure with the up-and-coming Herta. The eight-time GP winner is still underperforming in his second season with the team, so a new force behind the wheel could be an option for McLaren. Especially since the team were very impressed with Herta during F1 testing.

Herta's F1 test is bad news for Ricciardo

IndyCar reporter and former driver Townsend Bell said: "I hear all around me from multiple sources that McLaren was super impressed with Colton Herta. That shows how good the level of competition in IndyCar is now." Bell is mainly focusing on the positive significance of the reports for IndyCar, but for Formula One it could also mean that McLaren is seriously considering bringing Herta to the team. That would be a wish come true for the American fans and for Liberty Media, but for Ricciardo it would only mean bad news.

TBELL ON HERTA MCLAREN F1 TEST: "Everything I hear from a multitude of sources: [McLaren] was super impressed with Colton Herta and that speaks to how fantastic the competition level is in IndyCar today."#IndyCar #IndyTO

— Andy Merrick (@merrickspeed) July 15, 2022