As IndyCar gear up for the 2021 Indy 500, we take a look at three talented drivers who deserve a shot in Formula One.
Over the years, many former F1 drivers like Nigel Mansell, Takuma Sato and Romain Grosjean have moved across to IndyCar but IndyCar can boast drivers who in return deserve a shot at F1 yet are rarely given the chance ahead of F2 and even F3 drivers.
I therefore take a look at three top young IndyCar talents who deserve a shot at F1 in future, including one youngster who is currently set for a F1 test and a future US superstar who many see as America’s next top motorsport hope.
Colton Herta
Having enjoyed a bright junior career in which he often finished in the top three overall standings across various series like MSA Formula, Spanish F3, EuroFormula and Indy Lights, Herta has gone on to demonstrate why he is one of IndyCar and motorsport’s most exciting young talents at just 21 years old.
Herta only made his IndyCar debut in the final round of 2018 season at Sonoma yet just after just three IndyCar races later, the youngster became a race winner just six days shy of his 19th birthday with a controlled strategic drive from fourth on the grid.
The American went on to finish seventh overall that season with two poles including at Laguna Seca, where he won from pole to cap off an incredible rookie season before making further progress in a Coronavirus affected 2020 season to finish third in just his second full IndyCar season.
2021 meanwhile has brought some bad luck despite winning in St Petersburg from pole like he did in Mid-Ohio last season, meaning that three of his four IndyCar wins have come from pole which is impressively mature for Herta given the level of experienced opposition on the grid.
Herta also previously drove for Carlin who have produced plenty of top F1 talent like Sebastian Vettel and Lando Norris, with the latter having been one of many teammates of Herta over the years and those two managed a fair title fight whilst racing in 2015 MSA Formula together which Norris won on consistency.
I therefore wouldn’t mind seeing how Herta being handed a shot at F1 because he clearly has the potential to go far and would certainly be attractive for Haas as an emerging American driver, especially with endorsement from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll who has admitted that he wants to see Herta in F1.
Pato O’Ward
Currently driving for Arrow McLaren in IndyCar, O’Ward already has a small link to the F1 team and showed strong potential across his junior career when provided with a competitive car as evidenced by his Indy Lights title in 2018.
O’Ward also didn’t do too badly during brief stints in Super Formula and F2 as he grew into the former series and was hitting his stride when unfairly dropped from Red Bull’s Academy, whilst he did well to record a 14th placed finish in just his second F2 race as stand-in for the poor-performing Mahaveer Raghunathan.
The Mexican however reset himself upon his return to IndyCar last season to finish fourth overall with four podiums, which is a marked contrast to his then teammate – Oliver Askew and has continued that improvement into this season with his first IndyCar victory in the second Texas Oval race.
That victory in particular is a huge step towards F1 after fulfilling his challenge set by McLaren CEO, Zak Brown of winning one IndyCar race, as O’Ward is now set for F1’s Post-Season Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.
If he can impress in that test and continue to mature in his racing ability with commitment to Arrow McLaren, there is no doubt as to why he cannot be an outsider for a F1 seat in future as he is currently only 28 points behind IndyCar leader – Scott Dixon at time of writing and right in the title fight.
Alex Palou
Palou really is a driver who you could argue deserves a shot at F1 because he has been around the junior stage for many years now with strong consistency, even despite enduring a difficult GP3 stint across 2015-16 in which luck often failed to go his way and was competitive in his four F2 races at end of 2017 with two eighth-placed finishes.
The Spaniard however has shown strong consistency since leaving GP3 with third-placed finishes in Japanese F3 and Super Formula, either side of a strong seventh-placed result in 2018 European F3 where he outperformed his Hitech GP teammates plus outscored current F2 title contender – Guanyu Zhou.
Last season saw Palou head Stateside to IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing where he was very consistent and was the only driver in the team to produce a podium finish, which underlined great potential from the now 24 year-old who has raised his game this season with victory in Alabama and is currently second overall after moving to Chip Ganassi.
Now considering that it is just his second IndyCar season and the majority of the field are 27 years-old or older, I am pleased to see Palou finally finding a proper chance to show his ability after being snubbed at F3 level in recent years as well after his impressive F2 stint for Campos
Like Herta and O’Ward, Palou hasn’t exactly been given a fair look at by F1 teams given their talent but it is perhaps time that F1 look beyond F2 and F3 for their next superstars, especially because these three drivers are all deserving of a shot in F1 despite not bringing massive budgets which teams often like and need.
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