Will these American drivers be able to switch to Formula 1?

Colton Herta

Andretti appeared to be buying Alfa Romeo and with the American owner at the helm, Herta would also enter the scene. The 21-year-old driver rides IndyCar for Michael Andretti’s team and Mario, the father and Formula 1 world champion, would love to see Herta in F1. It seemed like an easy sum, but the deal between Andretti and Alfa was canceled.

Still, Herta remains an attractive option for Alfa Romeo. In 2015 and 2016, he had already attempted the transition to Europe. He then drove several championships in Europe, including the MSA Championship, in which he finished third in the final standings. The winner of this championship was Lando Norris.

Despite a third place at the Euroformula Open and a second place at the Spanish F3 Championship, Herta returned to America after two years. There he impressed for two seasons in the Indy Light Championship, before moving on to IndyCar. In the American class, he already takes a victory in his second race and has registered five more to his name.

Josef newgarden

When we talk about American pilots, we also have to talk about the name of Josef Newgarden. Newgarden is no longer the youngest on the grid at thirty, but he has already won the IndyCar Championship twice, has been a runner-up for the past two years and also won the Indy Lights Championship in his youth.

Newgarden is considered one of the most popular drivers in America, but never made a successful transition to Europe. He competed in the British Formula Ford Championship in 2009 and won pole once in his 2010 GP3 season. However, Carlin failed to impress in Europe, so he opted for the Indy Lights, where he became champion in 2011.

With two IndyCar titles under his belt, Newgarden would be a great showcase for American Formula 1 racing, but it remains to be seen if that is realistic. Newgarden is thirty years old and has no connection with European teams.

Like Crawford

In Formula 3, many American talents are currently trying to put themselves in the spotlight of European teams. The one who knows how to do it best so far is Jack Crawford. Crawford is only 16 years old but is already competing in the Formula 3 championship with the support of Red Bull.

In 2020, Crawford has already made the switch to formula cars in Europe, where he took five wins and a second place in the championship for Dutch Van Amersfoort Racing in the ADAC Formula 4 championship. He also took part in fourteen Formula 4 races. Italian, where he managed to achieve two victories.

In 2021, the transition to Formula 3 was even more difficult. He took 13th place in the standings with 45 points, but once reached the podium. Crawford needs the time, but clearly has the speed. In the Euro Formula Open Championship, he won eight of the sixteen races in 2021 and finished third in the standings, although he did not take part in two race weekends.

Logan sergeant

The last driver on this list is Logan Sargeant. At twenty, Sargeant is no longer Formula 3’s youngest talent, but Americans generally need some adjustment time. Sargeant always gets that time from Williams. The British team announced during the American GP that they would include this talent in the training program.

Sargeant has already won races in British Formula 4, Formula Renault Eurocup and the Formula 3 Championship, but so far there has been no real breakthrough. On behalf of Prema, the American missed an almost certain F3 title in 2020 due to a failure in the final race. In 2021, he found himself in Charouz to always win that title, but did not get more than one victory and a seventh place in the standings.

However, in entry-level classes this is also about the team you are in and Charouz is, especially compared to Prema, not the team where the most champions lead. With the support of Williams, Sargeant must hope for a better place in 2022, before seizing his last chance in Formula 1.