Colton Herta confirmed that when he completed some laps in Sauber’s Formula 1 simulator, he was faster than names like Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Räikkönen.
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When Michael Andretti tried to buy Sauber, the competitor was strongly linked to a grid spot for the 2022 season.
At the time, he went to the factory in Hinwill for a simulator test. Then, after a few laps, Herta virtually beat the times previously set by Giovinazzi and Räikkönen
However, in the end, Alfa Romeo ended up bringing in Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. In an interview with the Beyond the Grid podcast, Herta was asked about the story.
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“Yes, it was true. But I think it’s cool to be able to say you’re faster than them in the simulator, but that doesn’t mean much unless you can do the same in real life,” he said.
“I think it’s good for teams to see that, and then they think: ‘Okay, maybe it’s worth investing in a test with him.’ It’s certainly a great feeling when you get out of the simulator. But does that translate into real-life success? Maybe yes, maybe no. It’s cool to be able to say that,” he added.
Clarifying the track he drove on in this simulator session, Herta said it “was in Hungary.”
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