Cadillac Formula 1 CEO Dan Towriss has revealed that the team’s test driver Colton Herta previously received a Red Bull contract and it took him a month to convince the American driver not to take the Milton Keynes outfit up on the offer.
After a successful career in IndyCar, Herta decided to make the move to Formula 1. Alongside his duties as test driver for F1’s newest team, he is also currently racing in Formula 2.
In recent years, Herta has tested with various F1 teams, including Sauber and McLaren, but he finally decided to make the move when Cadillac got the green light to enter the championship.
Having raced for Andretti Autosport in IndyCar, which is co-owned by Towriss, it seemed like a natural step for Herta, but Towriss explained it was not as simple as you might think, with the American driver receiving offers elsewhere.
“I think what a lot of people don’t know, or we’ve talked about a little bit, was just how well Colton has done,” Towriss explained during the F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast. “So, now let’s go back to the Sauber story. We were looking to buy that team. So, we sent Colton over to the shop in Hinwil to get on the sim and he was lightning fast.
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
“Within an hour and a half or so, he was faster than their current Formula 1 drivers, and then going forward from there, he did a test with McLaren, and the report that was written on him was stellar.
“When Oscar [Piastri] left Alpine to go to McLaren, there was some reshuffling and so he did some testing there and literally did so well through those sessions, he came home with a Red Bull contract to sign. It probably took me a month to convince Colton and his reps not to sign that contract and stay with us.
“So there is a body of work for Colton that’s there where he’s really shown high potential, high aptitude for Formula 1.”
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