Red Bull has agreed in principle to let Gasly go to Alpine as a replacement for departing Fernando Alonso, freeing up a slot at AlphaTauri.
Horner has suggested that Herta is the only choice to replace Gasly, and that Red Bull will not release the Frenchman if the IndyCar star is unable to take the seat – leaving Alpine to seek another driver.
The challenge is that Herta is not eligible for a superlicence under the current points system, and rival team bosses have indicated that the FIA should stick to the rules and not make exceptions in case force majeure.
More importantly, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has confirmed to Autosport that he is also toeing that line, and he is keen to see the process followed.
Domenicali discussed the Herta affair with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Zandvoort last weekend.
Horner confirmed that he considered Herta as a potential future RBR driver if he were to prove his worth at AlphaTauri.
“I think he’s an exciting talent,” he said when asked about Herta’s potential by Autosport. “He’s a younger American who has been a standout talent in the United States, so it will be very interesting to see how he performs in F1.
“And obviously F1 is gaining popularity in the American market at the moment, and having a successful American driver could be very interesting. It could be interesting for us, in the longer term.
“I mean, we have contracts with our existing drivers, but AlphaTauri or Toro Rosso, they’ve produced a great stable of drivers that we can count on, whether it’s Sebastian [Vettel] or Max [Verstappen] or Daniel [Ricciardo] over the years.”
Red Bull not keen on letting Gasly move to Alpine before they can grab Herta
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
On the superlicense situation, Horner said: “I think it’s an FIA issue, we just need clarity on the driver points situation, which hopefully will come sooner rather than later. .” Because this obviously plays a key role in the driver’s ride.
“Obviously in terms of point clarification for a driver looking to get into F1, you need to know that you have options, and if that option isn’t there then the other triggers won’t come into play. .”
When asked if there was an alternative to Herta, Horner said: “I think Pierre is doing a good job at AlphaTauri. So I don’t think there will be an urge to change if there wasn’t an interesting option available.
Red Bull’s highest-placed protege in the 2022 FIA F2 Championship is Liam Lawson, who currently sits fifth and is close to qualifying for a super licence. He recently completed an FP1 session with AlphaTauri at Spa.
Curiously, Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko had a meeting with F2 champion-elect Felipe Drugovich on Saturday at Zandvoort.
The Brazilian is not affiliated with any F1 team and could be a surprise pick if Red Bull decides to look outside of their own programme. His name has also been linked to an AlphaTauri FP1 outing during his home run at Interlagos.
However, when asked by Autosport if Red Bull had an interest in Drugovich, Marko replied: “We don’t talk to him.
Marko also met F2 driver Enzo Fittipaldi, accompanied by his brother and reserve driver Haas Pietro, in Zandvoort.
