America loves motorsports, but it took most fans there some time to fall in love with F1. Over the years, however, the sport has seen a huge increase in viewership. The rise of social media and Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries played a major role in this growth. Today, there are three American races on the calendar and soon, potentially, two American teams. New drivers from the U.S. are also expected to enter the grid in the near future, with several talented stars already in the pipeline.
The last American to race in F1 was Logan Sargeant, who lost his seat at Williams midway through 2024 after spending a year and a half with the team. Most of his performances were underwhelming, although he did become the first American to score an F1 point since Michael Andretti in 1993, doing so at Austin two years ago.
Overall, however, he didn’t quite live up to expectations—not the American flagbearer many had hoped would succeed at the pinnacle of motorsport. Still, Williams team principal James Vowles, who made the call to drop Sargeant, believes there are a couple of promising American prospects on the rise.
However, it will likely be some time before they reach F1—if they do at all—since one of them isn’t even a teenager yet.
“This might come as a surprise to some, but I’ve already signed a driver who I believe has huge potential,” Vowles said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “He’s only 10…11 now. He wins everything that he can win in karting.”
Vowles revealed that the young driver his team signed is Lucas Palacio, who began karting at the age of three. He won his first race at just six years old, entered the Mini Swift category in 2022, and has since claimed three national championships.
NEWS | Lucas Palacio joins the Williams Driver Academy!
The 10-year-old competed in the WSK Super Master Series and ACI Italian Championship in the 60 Mini class this season, finishing second and fourth respectively. #Karting pic.twitter.com/B8HITNPzMP
— Feeder Series (@feeder_series) October 18, 2024
As for the other driver, Vowles didn’t name him, stating that he wasn’t part of the Williams Driver Academy. However, it could be presumed that he’s of a similar age to Palacio.
That said, both these young talents still have a long road ahead before they get a shot at F1. They’re years away from turning 18 and still have several ladders to climb. For now, the focus shifts to American drivers who could realistically make it to the grid in the near future—and one name that stands out is Colton Herta.
The 25-year-old currently competes in IndyCar and has been linked to F1 several times in the past. In 2022, he even came close to joining AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) but fell short, as he didn’t have enough super license points and the FIA refused to make an exception for him.
This year, he could make a claim for himself again. All he needs is to score 40 super license points, which requires him to finish P4 or higher in the championship. The fact that he’s currently in P8 and earned only 31 points over the last two seasons doesn’t sound too promising either.
But if he somehow manages to make it to F1, Herta could be the American breakthrough fans across the country have long been hoping for.
