Herta is one of the hottest prospects in motorsport, currently, having won seven IndyCar races despite being only 22-years-old.

The American is possibly one of the greatest talents to have come out of the country in recent years, with the IndyCar driver possessing all the skills to suit a drive in Formula 1.

Herta caught the eye of Red Bull as a replacement for Pierre Gasly at sister side AlphaTauri, should the Frenchman depart the Faenza-based team for Alpine.

READ: Red Bull explain why they think they will struggle in 2023

AlphaTauri’s attention has now switched to Nyck de Vries, as the FIA refused to budge on their superlicence system, for which IndyCar isn’t included.

The current system only allocates points to drivers racing in FIA championships, for which IndyCar isn’t.

No points are therefore offered in the IndyCar series, something which is an issue for Herta.

The American has tested for McLaren recently, with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown certain that the superlicence system “needs to be reviewed”.

With the system being the way it is, only IndyCar drivers who have previously amounted points whilst racing in an FIA championship would be able to make the switch.

Rossi is the last American to have raced in Formula 1, something he did in for Manor in 2015 on four occasions (before the system was introduced).

The current system has created a huge stumbling block for American drivers, something which should arguably be addressed given the fact that there will be three races in the United States next season.

Rossi released a statement on Twitter expressing his frustration at the ridiculous system, which is “costing Colton the opportunity”.

“The whole premise of it was to stop people from buying their way into F1 and allowing talent to be the motivating factor,” said Rossi.

“That’s great.

“We all agree Colton has the talent and capability to be in F1. That’s also great and he should get that opportunity if it’s offered to him. Period.

READ: Daniel Ricciardo responds to Mercedes rumour

“Motorsport still remains as the most high profile sport in the world where money can outweigh talent.

“What is disappointing and in my opinion, the fundamental problem, is that the sporting element so often took a backseat to the business side that there had to be a method put in place in order for certain teams to stop taking drivers solely based on their financial backing.

“Ultimately these past decisions, whether out of greed or necessity, is what cost Colton the opportunity to make the decision for himself as to if he wanted to alter career paths and race in F1. Not points on a license.”

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Rossi drove for the now folded Manor-Marussia for five races in 2015, before leaving the team to venture back to the USA to join Andretti Autosport in IndyCar.

The American has enjoyed great success in the series, having won eight races in the seven years he’s been there.

His biggest victory was his very first, where he claimed the 2016 Indianapolis 500, something which forms part of the triple-crown.

READ: Alpine boss comments on risk of Fernando Alonso causing trouble at the team

The metaphorical triple-crown involves winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso has long expressed his desire to win the unofficial motorsport achievement, which has only ever been awarded to Graham Hill.

Alonso has won both the Monaco GP and the Le Mans 24 Hours, with the Spaniard having attempted the Indy 500 three times, without success.

Apart from the double World Champion, no other current F1 drivers appear to be interested in competing in the Indy 500, with Max Verstappen admitting it’s too big an injury risk to take part.

Rossi has labelled this excuse of the Indy 500 being an injury risk as a “cop-out”, with the American using the example of Mick Schumacher’s crash at the Monaco GP as a prime example.

In the 2022 Indy 500 four drivers crashed out; however, none of the cars split in half.

At both the Monaco GP and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Schumacher crashed so heavily that his car split in half.

Rossi understands that IndyCar may be “more dangerous”, but thinks the Monaco GP is just as dangerous, if not more so than the Indy 500.

“In a sense, it’s more dangerous maybe, but we had four crashes and we didn’t have any cars splitting in half,” he said to Sky Sports after the race in May.

“You can’t say that about the Monaco Grand Prix, right? I think the safety argument is kind of a cop-out.”

Having spent the majority of his junior racing days in FIA single-seater championships, he understands why current F1 drivers are against the switch.

Rossi revealed that he used to be the same, with F1 drivers almost being oblivious that other racing series “exist”.

“I was that guy as well,” Rossi admitted.

“I think, when you are on a trajectory for Formula 1 and your entire world revolves around F1, it’s a sad state in the sense that other racing really doesn’t exist to you.

“It’s such a single-track focus you have in order to get there. I was the same way – I knew what the Indy 500 was but I didn’t ever really pay attention to it.

“But then, when you come and you have the opportunity to do it, it truly is an incredibly special event. Not only in motorsports but just globally, like it’s the largest single-day sporting event on Earth, right? So to have the opportunity to compete in that…”

Rossi is hoping that F1 drivers may feel more comfortable driving in IndyCar with so many ex-F1 drivers beginning to make the switch, most recently Romain Grosjean.

Rossi thinks the Frenchman is a great person to explain the differences in safety between the two categories, with the former Haas F1 Team driver having loved racing on ovals since deciding to do so.

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“I think Romain is someone that’s really good to talk to about it,” he said.

“Obviously, he had his incredibly dramatic and scary incident in Bahrain a couple of years ago. He thought long and hard about what he was going to do with his future and he shared that his passion for motorsports and racing has been renewed with a new car and he feels completely safe in the cars.

“It’s all relative, I think, at the end of the day, so those answers don’t surprise me, but that doesn’t mean I agree with them.”

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Graham Hill is the only driver to complete the unofficial Triple Crown of motorsport by winning the Formula 1 title as well as the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans which takes place this weekend, and the Indy 500, which was won by Marcus Ericsson this year on the same day that Sergio Perez took victory in Monaco.

Verstappen recently indicated that he would not want to participate in the Indy, describing those who do as “crazy” due to the dangers attached to it, but he would like to have a crack at an overall victory in Le Mans.

Rossi, who has won six races in the American series and so nearly beat Scott Dixon to the title in 2018, points to Mick Schumacher’s scary crash in Monaco to highlight that the Indy is not all that much more dangerous than what Verstappen already does in F1.

“In a sense, it’s more dangerous maybe, but we had four crashes and we didn’t have any cars splitting in half,” he told Sky Sports. 

READ: Marko fires warning at Verstappen as he believes Russell could win 2022 championship

“You can’t say that about the Monaco Grand Prix, right? I think the safety argument is kind of a cop-out.”

Rossi finished second in the GP2 – now Formula 2 – championship in 2015, and also raced five times for the struggling Manor Marussia team to replace Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens.

The American, who contested Le Mans in 2013 and sits second in the IMSA championship this year, knows what it is like for F1 to engulf a driver’s life.

Having left his ambitions to race in the pinnacle of motorsport behind, he encourages drivers like Verstappen to get involved in other series and the iconic races that come with them.

“I was that guy as well,” explained Rossi. 

“I think, when you are on a trajectory for Formula 1 and your entire world revolves around F1, it’s a sad state in the sense that other racing really doesn’t exist to you.

“It’s such a single-track focus you have in order to get there. I was the same way – I knew what the Indy 500 was but I didn’t ever really pay attention to it. 

“But then, when you come and you have the opportunity to do it, it truly is an incredibly special event. 

READ: Ocon reveals how close he came to partnering Hamilton at Mercedes

“Not only in motorsports but just globally, like it’s the largest single-day sporting event on Earth, right? So to have the opportunity to compete in that…”

Verstappen currently leads the F1 championship by nine points from Charles Leclerc, while Rossi is seventh in IndyCar after narrowly missing out on victory in Detroit to Will Power.

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F1 has in the last few years been trying to diversify itself amid huge interest from all-new demographics.

The biggest of those is the sport’s ever-growing American audience, and over a million viewers in the States tuned in to ESPN’s coverage of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this year.

READ: Romain Grosjean reveals obstacle to F1 return with Mercedes

The presence of Netflix in the paddock in recent seasons has been the catalyst for this new-found wealth of viewers from the US.

The pinnacle of motorsport will travel to Miami this season before returning to Vegas in 2023, meaning that – including the already-established race in Texas – there will be three American races on the calendar next season.

American drivers of the past include champions Phill Hill and Mario Andretti, but interest from that part of the world has wavered since Andretti departed after his sole championship with Lotus in 1978.

Scott Speed was never able to fulfil the anticipation around him, and Alex Rossi made two appearances with Manor Marussia in 2015, but headed back to IndyCar amid the sheer difficulties of breaking into F1 full-time.

As a result, Domenicali stresses that an American racer cannot just be dropped into F1 as a courtesy; they have to be there on merit.

“It is important because of course people make the difference. They are the protagonists with whom everyone feels connected and their faces are always a reference. But it has to be real,” said Domenicali.

“They have to be fast, otherwise it comes back like a boomerang. That’s why we are also working with the American Federation to invest in that. It is definitely something that is not easy to achieve.

“It will take time, but we are putting focus on it. It would definitely have a big effect. That’s why we work together and we respect the roles, but for an organiser or promoter who wants to develop their business in the United States, an American man or woman can be very important from a commercial point of view.”

Gene Haas entered a team into Formula 1 in 2016 having taken title glory in NASCAR two years prior with Kevin Harvick.

The Haas team have since become an established team on the grid, and their adeptness in the new technical regulations will only be helping F1’s light shine over the United States.

As a result, Greg Maffei, president and CEO of F1 owners Liberty Media, believes that it is only a matter of time until we see an American driver back in the sport.

READ: Watch: Ride onboard in Sainz’s Ferrari F1-75 for the first time at 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit

“I want to say we have an American team, we have Haas. With an event like Las Vegas and all the other things we are doing in the US, it is becoming more and more likely we will have an American driver soon,” he said.

The race in Vegas will be the third held in the city after the two Casers Palace Grand Prix in 1981 and 1982.

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