Super License Madness

Colton Herta, after years of wanting to make a move to Formula One competition, finally has the keys to a seat he has craved.

But bureaucracy may well get in the way of America’s potential next full-time driver.

Following the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Chris Medland reported that Helmut Marko, who runs the Red Bull driver program and decides the lineups of both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri, had outright told him that Herta will get a seat at AlphaTauri if the FIA makes an exception for his Super License application.

Helmut Marko just told me an agreement has already been reached with all parties for Colton Herta to join IF he is granted a Super Licence by the FIA, and he expects a decision by Monza #F1

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) September 4, 2022

The move would send Pierre Gasly to Alpine F1 Team, in the open seat vacated by Fernando Alonso and denied by Oscar Piastri. That deal is completely dependent on Herta being approved by the FIA, however.

Marko also suggested that agreement involves Gasly to Alpine, but again it’s an IF a Super Licence is granted to Herta #F1

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) September 4, 2022

A Super License (which will henceforth be referred to as simply “SL”) is effectively a driver’s license issued by the FIA that allows a driver to compete in F1. Throughout the years in F1, there have been plenty of unqualified drivers who have bought their way into the world’s largest racing series. The current scrutiny in the application process, implemented largely because Max Verstappen jumped from finishing third in a regional F3 championship into what is now an AlphaTauri car at age 16, is designed to keep unqualified drivers away.

And in large part, the system has done that. Say what you will about both Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi, but both went through this system. And although both have rides due to rich parents, both have proven they belong in F1 if anything for not being a danger on track. Stroll may be one of the most underrated drivers in the field, considering his tendency to keep his head down and end most days either in the points or right outside of it.

A driver needs to meet six prerequisites before being approved for an SL, with the first five being pretty basic stuff that most drivers can pretty easily accomplish. The sixth, however, is the hard part: “Accumulated at least 40 points over the previous three seasons in any combination of the championships reported in…