American Colton Herta is close to joining F1, but he is not yet eligible, and some teams don't want him to skip the line

• Colton Herta appears to be close to joining AlphaTauri for the 2023 season.
• Herta still doesn't have enough points for a Super License, but some think F1 will make an exemption.

Formula One is close to adding its first American driver in seven years, but it will only happen if the sport finds a way around the fact that he is not yet eligible.

Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko told SpeedCity Broadcasting on SiriusXM (via Racer) that their sister team, AlphaTauri, has reached an agreement with American Colton Herta to join the team in 2023.

However, there is a huge problem: The IndyCar driver isn't eligible for F1 because he doesn't have an FIA Super License yet, and there is no path for him to earn enough points before next season.

To drive in F1, a driver must qualify for a Super License. Among the criteria, applicants must earn 40 points over the course of three preceding seasons (over the last four years, to allow for pandemic-related hardships) in other FIA sanctioned series. Herta has 32 points from IndyCar, and the best-case scenario is he could earn six more after the season by participating in the final six FP1 practice sessions with AlphaTauri. Still, that would leave him two points short.

This is where F1's governing body, the FIA, steps in. With the sport's popularity surging in the US and three American races on the schedule next season, the FIA could be inclined to give Herta an exception to get an American on the grid as soon as possible.

Marko confirmed that the FIA is weighing whether to give Herta a Super License, and he expects a decision this week.

A second hurdle for Herta appears to have already been cleared. McLaren held an F1 option on Herta (he recently tested with the team), but according to Racer's Chris Medland, they have waived their claim as they have moved on to Oscar Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo.

Herta would be the first American driver in F1 since current IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi started five races in 2015. The last full-time American driver on the grid was aptly named Scott Speed, who raced in 2006 and 2007. Before Speed, you have to go all the way back to Mario Andretti in 1982, the last American to win an F1 race.

Some prominent voices are against an exemption for Herta

While F1 could benefit from having an American on the grid next season, not everybody is in favor of giving Herta a Super License, including F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

"The sport needs to respect the rules," Domenicali told Autosport (via ESPN). "Of course, American drivers or other drivers are very important. If he is eligible to come in F1 because he has the points, it's fantastic news. But there is a ladder to follow, there is a protocol to respect, and that is the situation. So it's really what I believe is right to do."

One thing holding Herta back is that IndyCar is not viewed as highly as F1's feeder series, Formula 2, since the FIA does not govern the American series.

Some team principals, including Haas boss Gunther Steiner, are open to changing the rules but don't want them to be skirted as they are now.

"I don't want to be sitting here and saying, 'Oh, an IndyCar race, we know it's as good as this,'" Steiner said at the Dutch Grand Prix. "You cannot compare it. If we want to change the rule, let's discuss it, you know, and then fix it for the future if you think it's wrong. But there needs to be an agreement between the stakeholders in it."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff agreed.

"It would be great to have an American in F1, and it obviously would give us a good boost," Wolff said. "But I think the points system is there for a reason. The regulations are the regulations, and I would really hope the Americans can somehow score enough points to make it in F1."

Steiner also noted that other IndyCar drivers have Super Licenses within the rules.

It is not clear yet who Herta would replace at AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri is yet to confirm that current drivers Pierre Gasly or Yuki Tsunoda won't be back next season, but they could be in the market for one or even two new drivers.

According to Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm of The Race, Alpine has agreed to buy out the remaining year of Gasly's contract with AlphaTauri, opening the door for him to move to the French team if the two sides can come to an agreement. Several reports have stated that Alpine wants to keep its options open for now.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner suggested that Gasly's move could be contingent on the FIA approving Herta's Super License.

"We just need clarity on what is the situation regarding driver points, which hopefully will come sooner rather than later," Horner said at the Dutch Grand Prix. "That plays a key role obviously in the driver merry-go-round ... [we won't release Gasly] if we don't have something exciting to put in that car."

Tsunoda's contract expires at the end of the season, and it is still up in the air if he will be back with Red Bull's sister team next year. Team advisor Helmut Marko recently called Tsunoda a "problem child" over his in-race radio outbursts. Team principal Franz Tost said if Tsunoda can eliminate some of the crashes, he has "a good chance" to remain with the team — hardly a ringing endorsement.

F2 racer Liam Lawson could be next in line after Herta. He is a Red Bull junior driver and recently completed his first F1 practice with AlphaTauri. Marko suggested that their junior drivers would be given preference, saying, "We have our own program. Of course, we prefer our own people."