McLaren hand Herta F1 "bucket list" chance

Topher Smith
Saturday 12 March 2022 15:15 - Updated: 15:19

Colton Herta will be handed his debut F1 outing with McLaren after joining its testing programme for 2022.

The American was recently linked to F1 as a potential driver for Andretti Global, which intends to join the grid in 2024.

McLaren has confirmed Herta, who currently holds the record of IndyCar's youngest race winner, will be handed a drive following a change to the sporting regulations which allows teams to test one-year-old cars.

“Colton is a proven talent in IndyCar and we will be interested to see how he adapts to a Formula 1 car," said McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl.

"We believe this testing programme will provide him with valuable experience while demonstrating the benefit of expanding previous car testing to showcase promising drivers for the future.”

Herta, who has previously stated his desire to one day race in F1, said: “I want to thank McLaren for the opportunity to get my first laps in a Formula 1 car, which has always been on my racing bucket list.

"This will be a great opportunity for me to gain some valuable experience in a new form of motorsport and learn from such an established team like McLaren F1.”