"Allen and Herta, both generational talents, made their professional debuts within a week of each other in 2018 and have gone on to become some of the most recognizable stars in their respective worlds. Eight years in, with 116 IndyCar starts, Herta finished second in the IndyCar championship for Andretti Global as recently as 2024, has nine victories to his credit plus, from 2019, the distinction of becoming IndyCar's youngest winner at the age of 18."
"Herta's bona fides are more than sufficient to go straight to F1, but he's chasing access to the grid, which has been denied due to a shortage of licensing points required to compete alongside the best from McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and the rest. In long ago times, a driver of Herta's caliber could dream of racing in F1, and if they had the talent, Grand Prix racing would welcome them without issue."
"Now 25, the Californian is so entrenched in IndyCar that the series used his face -- and his face alone -- to adorn the drivers section of its media guide for 2025. He might not be the biggest name in IndyCar, but Herta has been an Allen-esque figure -- the perennial contender on the cusp of a breakthrough to the top -- which makes his rerouting to Formula 1's finishing school such a strange and unprecedented move."
Colton Herta is abandoning a successful eight-year IndyCar career to enter Formula 2 as a deliberate step toward securing a Formula 1 seat. Herta has 116 IndyCar starts, nine wins, and was the series' youngest winner in 2019, finishing second in the 2024 championship with Andretti Global. The move responds to a shortage of FIA Super Licence points that has blocked direct entry to F1 despite his record. The shift is unprecedented among major-league athletes, reflects structural barriers to F1 access, and represents a backward-to-go-forward career strategy aimed at reaching motorsport's global pinnacle.
Read at ESPN.com
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