Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta says that he is fully focused on IndyCar and competing for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series championship with 16 races remaining. The Californian heads to the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway aiming to claim his first oval victory.
It was announced on Saturday that Herta has joined McLaren Racing’s Formula One team to conduct test sessions in the race-winning MCL35M so that he gain experience in a Grand Prix car and in doing so build up his FIA Super Licence points with a view to a potential move to Formula One in 2024. Speaking during a pre-season media event Herta said that he would love the opportunity to compete in Formula One and is young enough to return to the NTT IndyCar Series at a later point and would still be young enough to be competitive.
For now, Herta is focused on the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway where he says he has struggled despite finishing the 2021 race 2 in fifth place while in 2020 he came home in seventh place. Speaking to IndyCar.com, Herta said that he really wants to work on his oval performances and while he is excited about Texas Motor Speedway next weekend he is happy that Iowa Speedway has a double-header race in July as the state returns to the NTT IndyCar Series schedule.
Herta confirmed that the series will host a test at Iowa Speedway ahead of the race return. Paddock Eye understands that Herta’s tests in the 2021 McLaren MCL35M will come following the conclusion of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series on September 11 with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
Herta is not the first driver from the NTT IndyCar Series who will have tested an Formula One car recently as Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward recently tested for the McLaren Racing F1 Team in Abu Dhabi.