Formula 1 has an American owner, an American team and from next year even two American Grand Prix races. thanks for the
campaign to survive The sport is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. However, there is still no American driver in first class. The last of them was Alexander Rossi, who drove some races for the desperate Marussia in 2015. Before that was Scott Speed, in 2007. It’s time for a new American driver, according to the F1 organization itself, who wants to increase the popularity of the sport in the United States. But who are the most suitable candidates? F1 max He listed four real F1 contenders from America for you.
Why don’t we have an American Formula One driver? The United States has a rich motorsports culture, as well as a large population. Surely there will be an F1 driver among them? The problem is that Formula 1 is a very European-oriented sport. Officially, it’s a world championship, but all the drivers in the first division had to prove themselves in the European junior classes to secure a place. For an American, moving to Europe and building a career is a huge step if you can climb the ladder to IndyCar in your home country as well. Japan also has the same problem, but due to the involvement of F1 by Japanese car manufacturers such as Honda, that country has helped a large number of drivers reach the first class. The United States never had that. There are still a number of drivers who could make it to Formula 1 in the coming years.
Colton Herta: Ready to step in?
For a moment it looked as if Colton Hertha would actually race in Formula One next year. It was rumored that Andretti will take over the F1 team from Alfa Romeo. Herta, who drives Andretti in IndyCar, was a clear candidate for the last open seat in Formula 1. However, it appears that negotiations between Andretti and Sauber (the actual team behind Alfa) have broken down, meaning Herta’s chances for next year are all gone.
However, Colton, son of former IndyCar driver Bryan Herta, is one of the most suitable F1 candidates from the United States. Primarily because he is simply a very good driver. Herta became the youngest-ever IndyCar winner (19 years 83 days) in 2019 when he won the Circuit of the Americas. This was only his third race in that class. In the highly competitive field of IndyCar, this is a singular achievement.
However, what he talks about the most is his age. Most of the top American drivers are actually too old to build a long career in Formula One, while Herta is only 21 years old. It’s a great age to show you the Grand Prix for the first time. In addition, he has experience in European junior classes. In 2015, he participated in the British Formula 4 Championship, which was won by Lando Norris. Herta’s start to the season was somewhat anonymous, but she was able to keep up with dominant Norris at the end. In the end he took third place. His performance well against the Briton, who in turn is one of the best drivers in Formula One, shows that Hertha has a talent to be avoided.
Colton Hertha has only one problem: Is there a place for him? It is very difficult for an outsider like Herta to break into Formula One. Unless you bring a bag of cash with you, teams are more likely to go for certified drivers and their little talents. His best chance is if Andretti decides to take on a team other than Sauber, but which team? Williams has already been sold and Haas may go to Mazepins. They can also create a team themselves, but this is very expensive. In any case, if Andretti is to drive F1, Herta will be the first candidate for a seat.
Logan Sargent: The Man Who Defeated the Best Talent Byastre
When his cash flow dried up at the end of last year, Logan Sargent’s F1 dream seemed to be over. After all, you wouldn’t get anywhere in the sport without cash. However, the dream seems to be alive again. A few weeks ago, the young American was accepted into the Williams Junior Program. Does Sargent really have a chance of getting into the royal class?
So we need to highlight briefly another driver: Oscar Piastre, the current championship leader in Formula 2. The Australian is on his way to his third junior title in three years, an unparalleled feat. Piastre is the youngest talent at the moment. Now it so happens that Sargent and Piastre often raced together in the same class. In Formula 3 they were even teammates. So we can compare Sargent to the best talent in 2021, and see if he’s an F1 element.
2017: British Formula 4. Sgt. in third place, and Piastrie second. However, the pair are very identical, finishing with a difference of only 20.5 points.
2018: Formula Renault. Sargent and Piastre are both newbies in a very strong field. Sargeant is leading an excellent season, winning three races en route to the P4 Championship, and was the second best rookie on the field. Piastre is only eighth and doesn’t win any races.
2019: Piastre stayed in Formula Renault and narrowly won the title. Sargeant is moving into Formula 3, after having a difficult year with Team Carlin. He is only nineteen years old. However, his esteemed colleagues do not perform better.
2020: Sargeant and Piastri are teammates in Prema, by far the best team in Formula 3. In qualifying, Sargeant is the fastest driver in the field, earning three poles in eight races, more than anyone else. Piastre never qualifies higher than P3, but he has managed to stay in the title fight with his consistent driving behaviour. Before the final race, the American was at the top of the championship, but was injured on the first lap and lost the title to Piastrie.
Essentially what this comparison shows is how daring a Sgt and a Piastri actually are. The only difference is that after 2020, the Piastra had the money to drive Formula 2, Sargent did not. However, it is clear that the American has the talent to get into Formula 1, just like his Australian rival.
Sargeant also has the advantage of racing in Europe from an early age. He has been able to measure himself for years with well-known talents in Formula One, including Oscar Piastre. He is accustomed to the culture of European racing, which is different from the American culture – more serious, with more political games. In addition, he is now officially associated with the F1 team. This gives Sargent the advantage of not being an outsider, unlike Colton Hertha. There is a good chance that he will finally be able to drive Formula 2 next year; If he does well there, he could secure an F1 seat at Williams. Given his talent, there’s a good chance we’ll see Logan Sargent in Formula 1.
Jack Crawford: a young talent in Red Bull
Logan Sargent is no longer the only American talent on the European formula ladder. Jack Crawford joined the junior team at Red Bull Racing by Helmut Marko last year, and was immediately launched into the highly competitive German and Italian F4 Championships. The young American showed there that he can compete with some of the best beginner riders in Europe at this level.
After these successes, Crawford immediately took a step into Formula 3, as he was also the youngest driver on the field. Marko simply likes to have his driver work his way up the F1 ladder as fast as possible. In all honesty, Crawford hasn’t had an easy season. The step from Formula 4 to Formula 3 is a very big step, and drivers often have trouble with that. Cars are much faster and harder to drive. The F3 field also consists of up to 30 cars, with only the top 10 getting points. Crawford scored just eight points in 21 races, en route to a modest P13 in the championship.
However, the US F3 season is more promising than it appears on paper. The level of the playing field is high and Crawford has shown on many occasions that he really has the speed, despite his lack of experience. He is only 16 years old, so he has plenty of time to learn and become faster. He is expected to remain in F3 next year, becoming one of the top contenders for the title. Then Crawford can prove whether he’s a fit for Formula 1. One thing really stands in his way: he has to be better than the other talents in Red Bull’s junior programme, who are chasing the same F1 seats. Not an easy task, but Crawford is a proven talent. It is definitely a competitor.
Ugo Ogochukwu: In the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton?
The day we will see Ugo Ugochukuwu in Formula 1 is still a long way off. The Nigerian-American kart talent is just 14 years old. However, it can already be said that he is a racer to watch out for. Ugochukuwu’s story is somewhat reminiscent of that of Lewis Hamilton: a 13-year-old (at the time) racing talent who was picked by McLaren for the long-term. Then it caught the attention of the racing world.
Ugochukwu is also included in the . file Young Driver Program
From McLaren, which works differently than, for example, Red Bull. Marko sometimes has as many as ten drivers under his wing, and their positions in the junior team depend largely on their performance. The Austrian does not hesitate to remove underperforming drivers from his program. McLaren favors acquiring and retaining the best talent for the long term. For example, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries were assisted by the Woking team.
Even for McLaren, it is rare for a driver to join their team at the age of 13. The last (and only) time it happened before was – indeed – with Hamilton, and it became by far the biggest success story of the McLaren Junior Programme. So clearly McLaren sees something big in Ogochukwu.
This does not mean that he will definitely make it to Formula 1. His karting performance is excellent, but there are also a lot of outstanding kart drivers who just can’t fulfill their potential in Formula cars. It’s really too early to say what Ugochukwu’s career will look like, but he’s definitely someone to follow in the future. Ugo Ugochukwu is arguably the best shot at a future American Formula 1 driver.
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