Andretti’s F1 entry reportedly the last hope for former McLaren development driver for a shot at Formula One seat

Colton Herta feels Andretti's F1 entry is the last hope for his seat on the grid as time runs out for the former McLaren development driver.

The IndyCar driver has been hoping to mark his debut on the F1 grid for a long time, but the move has not materialized owing to multiple obstacles. The major issue that he faced earlier was not having enough points in his FIA Super License, which is mandatory for any driver to race in Formula 1.

The driver has been related to the sport indirectly in the past. In 2022, McLaren signed Herta as their development driver and also tested him in the MCL35M. Despite having a relationship with McLaren, Herta now feels that the only way he can enter F1 is through Andretti Autosport, who are speculated to be joining the grid.

"You know, I think it's very time-sensitive," Autosport quoted him. "I'm probably at the highest age that I could probably go over there with a team maybe besides Andretti. Yeah, so I don't have anything to report on their side of things. I think their goal is still to get a Formula 1 team, and they're still trying to."

Herta added that he was more focused on the upcoming 2024 IndyCar season ahead of him after a victory-less 2023 season in the series.

"If that happens, we'll have to see what timeline that is and how old I'll be and where I'm at in my life at that point," he said regarding his chances in F1. For me, really just the main focus right now is IndyCar, and we'll see where it goes," he said.

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McLaren team principal reveals goals for the 2024 F1 season

After an impressive stint in the second half of the previous F1 season, McLaren looked in good shape to challenge the top teams for victories. They managed to finish fourth in the championship despite having a brutal start initially in 2023.

Despite the momentum, team principal Andre Stella revealed to Autosport that the team was not discussing championship positions yet. Rather, they were hard at work on the development of the car.

"I won't talk about how we want to be second, first, third – because that's not even the language we use internally at McLaren. We don't talk about this. Results take care of themselves. What we talk about is: 'What do we have to do in terms of aerodynamic development, mechanical development, how do we improve the interaction with the tyres'?," Stella said.

Oscar Piastri's impressive rookie season helped the team climb up to fourth place in the championship. Meanwhile, his teammate Lando Norris is still waiting for his maiden F1 victory. Having finished in P2 seven times so far, it is apparent that the Briton has the pace for a win, but a competitive car is something he has lacked until now.