Threat to Daniel Ricciardo ‘should be in F1 now’ as part of American team

An American motorsports mogul says the man viewed as the biggest threat to Daniel Ricciardo “should be in F1 now”.

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: NTT IndyCar Series driver Colton Herta participates in driver introductions prior to the start of the 2022 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach on April 10, 2022 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

American motorsports kingpin Michael Andretti says the man viewed as the biggest threat to Daniel Ricciardo “should be in F1 right now”, as the push for an 11th team gathers steam.

Andretti is currently campaigning to set up an F1 team that would join the grid in 2024 after his bid to acquire Sauber, which operates the Alfa Romeo team, fell apart last year.

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Andretti, the son of 1978 F1 world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti, is a successful team owner in the IndyCar series and was at the Miami Grand Prix lobbying the FIA and team bosses to support his bid.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes having an American driver on the grid would be more effective for F1’s growth in the US than adding a whole new American team.

Andretti already has teams in IndyCar, Indy Lights, Formula E, Extreme E and Australia’s Supercars competition.

He didn’t agree with Horner, arguing that only his new team would give American drivers adequate opportunities to get into F1.

“We want to be an American team that wants to be developing American drivers for the future,” Andretti told Motorsport.com.

“There’s nobody out there that’s doing that. That’s where we want to be. There’s no real legitimate road for an American driver to get into F1. There just isn’t.

“We want to pave the way to F1.”

Michael Andretti wants an American team in F1. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Colton Herta could be the next American F1 driver. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

The last American driver to race in F1 was Alexander Rossi, who raced five grands prix in 2014-15.

The next cab off the rank is believed to be 22-year-old IndyCar prodigy Colton Herta, who has a development contract with McLaren and looms as a threat to Ricciardo if the Australian’s poor form continues.

If Andretti’s bid to buy Sauber had been successful, his plan was for Herta to be installed as one of the drivers.

Andretti is still committed to having Herta as one of his drivers and said he is the “perfect example” of an American who should be in F1 now.

“He should be in F1 right now, he’s got that talent, but they ran out of money, so they came back to the States,” Andretti said.

“So he went (the American) route. I want to make it where we can bring kids out of go-karts and give them the path, and if they’re good enough, they’ll hopefully get to Formula 1, and we’ll have the team to do it.

“And we would know they’re going to get a legitimate shot. There’s not going to be any that they’re out there full of fuel and they don’t know it, that type of thing.

“There’s going to be a legitimate deal.”

The F1 season continues at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday at 11pm (AEST).