Ralf Schumacher’s brutal verdict on Colton Herta: “Has no place in F1”
Colton Herta has been blasted by Ralf Schumacher, who believes he is not good enough for F1.
Ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has claimed that Colton Herta would be “just burning fuel” if he lands a Cadillac drive for next season.
Herta finally obtained the last remaining superlicence point he required to race in F1 with his sixth practice outing on Friday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The American nine-time IndyCar race winner is a contender for a Cadillac seat in 2027, with Cadillac weighing up whether to replace Valtteri Bottas with Herta.
Bottas has underperformed alongside Sergio Perez in Cadillac’s debut F1 season and the team is keen on the idea of fielding an American driver in its line-up.
Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti is also thought to be in the running for the seat currently held by Bottas.
Asked whether Herta could be a candidate for the Cadillac seat, Schumacher replied in typical outspoken fashion: "Only if Easter and Christmas fall on the same day.
“Seriously, it's pointless. He's just burning fuel, to borrow a phrase from Franz Tost. I don't even know what the point of it is. You might as well put someone else in the car, give some young drivers a chance.”
Herta swapped IndyCar for Formula 2 this year in his quest to reach F1 but has endured a difficult and disappointing first season in the series.
He currently sits 19th out of the 22 full-time drivers with two scheduled rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remaining.
Schumacher also criticised Herta’s performances in F2, saying: “He was really that bad in Formula 2. As far as I'm concerned, he hasn't earned it at all.
“I think it's great that they're trying to promote American drivers. But it has to make sense, and he has no place in Formula 1."
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