Ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner predicts next American F1 driver in 5 to 10 years

1 of 5 | Gunther Steiner (pictured), a former team principal at Haas, said Jak Crawford is among the young Americans who could potentially break into the Formula 1 racing circuit. File Photo by Greg Nash/UPI | License Photo

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., Feb. 14 (UPI) — Logan Sargeant’s Formula 1 departure once again led to an absence of Americans on the European dominated racing circuit. Ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner told UPI he expects another American driver in five to 10 years.

“Just like everything in life, right place, right time,” Steiner said at Miami Grand Prix media day Thursday in Miami Gardens, Fla. “I think we lost a few generations where no American driver tried to get into F1.

Steiner’s tenure with Formula 1’s lone American team ended in 2023 when his contract as team principal was not renewed, with owner Gene Haas citing underperformance. Sargeant’s lack of success — one point through 27 races in two years — also led to his exit.

A lack of opportunities is often the main reason cited for the rare presence of Americans involved in the sport. In 2023, Sargeant became the first American driver to race in a Grand Prix since Alexander Rossi in 2015. Sargeant was the first full-time American racer since 2007. No Americans have won a Grand Prix since Mario Andretti in 1978.

“You cannot buy time,” Steiner said. “Kids need to go through Europe to get in. Nobody can take F4, F3, F2 out. If you don’t through that, it’s very difficult coming in.”

FIA — the sanctioning body for motorsports — designed the global pathway from karting to Formula 1. Those progressive stages include Formula 4, for drivers 15 and older, Formula Regional, Formula 3 and Formula 2, before potential promotion to Formula 1.

Drivers not only need to establish reputations as elite drivers, but also must combat the politics of the circuit, which were showcased for many Americans on Netflix’s “Drive to Survive.”

“It’s very difficult to do, not because of lack of talent, it’s just you don’t know the car and the pressures of F1,” said Steiner, one of the stars of the show. “You don’t know the team, the environment. That is something you need to learn.”

Steiner said he believes that series brought popularity to the sport, including eyes from women and young people, that drivers have slowly embraced.

The longtime engineer, who now works as a broadcaster, cited Aston Martin’s Jak Crawford, 18, among those who could break in to the circuit. Crawford, a Charlotte, N.C., native, is a young development driver, behind top two racers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and several reserves. Crawford has risen from Formula 4 to Formula 2.

“Obviously you need opportunities to go there, to race in F1,” Steiner said. “I remember when he [Crawford] was in karting, he was a big talent. He needs the opportunity.”

Steiner also pointed to IndyCar’s Colton Herta as someone who could attempt a switch to Formula 1. Herta, 24, previously said he thinks time is running out for a switch to the circuit, but continues to express interest in the idea.

Andretti, who directs Huerta and the IndyCar Andretti Racing team, has said he wanted to sign him as one for the new drivers for the Cadillac F1 team, which will debut in 2026.

“I think the goal from the beginning was to have at least one American driver,” Andretti told reporters in December. “It definitely makes sense to put an experienced driver alongside an American driver.

“That will most likely be Colton Herta, but you have to keep your options open.”

Herta needs a Top 5 finish in IndyCar this season to secure an FIA super license, which is required to be eligible for the F1 seat. The Santa Clarita, Calif., native has experience testing F1 cars and racing against top drivers, including 2024 Miami Grand Prix champion Lando Norris.

“I don’t really have a concern with it at all,” Herta told reporters last month. “I’ve kind of been dragged around in this talk for … feels like half a decade now and I’ve had the carrot in front of me for a while.

“So, I’m tired of that being the case. I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning the championship, and if something arises out of that, I’d have to think about it.”

Steiner said he believes the circuit’s growing popularity could shift focus into a plan for younger drivers to enter the Formula 1 development structure.

“Somebody will do it,” Steiner said. “I think now with the popularity in the United States, it will be not in the next two years, but in the next five to 10 years, an American driver will make it back to F1.”

The Miami Grand Prix, the first Formula 1 race each year in the United States, will be May 4 at the Miami International Autodrome, a track built around the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.