LONDON — Colton Herta’s aspirations of making a return to the Indianapolis 500 amid his pursuit of a Formula 1 seat faced a setback on Thursday due to a scheduling conflict arising from the addition of two Formula 2 races.
F2 has announced two additional rounds of its championship that coincide with the F1 Miami Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix, both taking place next month. The event in Montreal overlaps with the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.
These new rounds are set to replace events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which were canceled along with the F1 races in those locations due to the ongoing conflict in Iran. The initial calendar did not include any F2 races in May.
Herta had been in the running for a fourth entry at the Indianapolis 500 from Andretti Global, which is part of the same ownership group as the Cadillac F1 team, represented by Dan Towriss and the TWG Motorsports organization.
“We’re planning on a fourth car. But there are no shortage of people, and not just from IndyCar,” Towriss stated in February during the IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Herta, who became the youngest race winner in IndyCar history at 18 in 2019, transitioned to F2 this season to accumulate the super license points required to compete in F1 as Cadillac’s first American driver.
The 26-year-old Herta currently sits 10th in the F2 standings following the opening round in Australia last month.
“I think it’s great if it gets me to Formula 1, and I would be incredibly grateful I took the leap,” Herta remarked to The Associated Press in January regarding his move to F2. “I think a lot of people feel it would be embarrassing if I fail, but I don’t care what everybody thinks or if it’s going to tarnish my career.”
Source: espn.com
