Has McLaren already got a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo in its crosshairs? That's the speculation surrounding Colton Herta's surprise Formula 1 test with the team this week.
On Monday, the IndyCar Series' youngest race winner began the first of two days of on-track running at Portimao in a 2021-spec car.
In a statement confirming Herta's outing, McLaren said the test "provides an opportunity for the team to evaluate young talent".
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"Colton is a proven talent in IndyCar and we will be interested to see how he adapts to a Formula 1 car," said McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl.
"We believe this testing programme will provide him with valuable experience while demonstrating the benefit of expanding previous car testing to showcase promising drivers for the future."
The test comes during a turbulent time for McLaren, which is wrestling driver silly season talk as an impending Ricciardo exit looms.
The Australian is contracted through to 2023, although an early departure isn't off the table thanks to exit clause mechanisms.
The BBC reports McLaren is said to be exploring its options should Ricciardo depart at the end of this year.
Herta was tipped to join the Formula 1 grid this year when the Andretti family, who he races for in the IndyCar Series, sought to buy into the Alfa Romeo-backed Sauber squad.
The 22-year-old is contracted to Andretti Autosport until the end of 2023, which coincides with Ricciardo's current McLaren contract period.
Oscar Piastri could feasibly be another option for McLaren. He was added to the team's reserve driver pool this year, despite being an Alpine reserve and test drive.
The 21-year-old won last year's FIA Formula 2 Championship but has not been able to score a full-time drive in the sport's top division.
The Melburnian is managed by ex-Formula 1 driver Mark Webber, who worked closely with Seidl at Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Last week, McLaren boss Zak Brown cooled speculation that Ricciardo is on the move.
Asked whether Ricciardo would see out his contract, Brown replied, "oh yeah, yeah."
One thing is for certain, incumbent Lando Norris is set to stay.
Earlier this year, he signed a $140 million contract extension with McLaren that will keep him at the team until 2025.
Ricciardo has trailed Norris throughout 2022, out-qualifying his team-mate nine to two.
The British driver holds seventh in the drivers' championship on 64 points while the Australian only has 17 points to put him 12th in the standings.
Formula 1 resumes at Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix on July 22-24.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Has McLaren already got a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo in its crosshairs? That's the speculation surrounding Colton Herta's surprise Formula 1 test with the team this week.
On Monday, the IndyCar Series' youngest race winner began the first of two days of on-track running at Portimao in a 2021-spec car.
In a statement confirming Herta's outing, McLaren said the test "provides an opportunity for the team to evaluate young talent".
READ MORE: Under-fire AFL coach splits with battling club
READ MORE: Unfortunate casualties in Kyrgios sideshow
READ MORE: Concerning theory behind Storm's shock demise
"Colton is a proven talent in IndyCar and we will be interested to see how he adapts to a Formula 1 car," said McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl.
"We believe this testing programme will provide him with valuable experience while demonstrating the benefit of expanding previous car testing to showcase promising drivers for the future."
The test comes during a turbulent time for McLaren, which is wrestling driver silly season talk as an impending Ricciardo exit looms.
The Australian is contracted through to 2023, although an early departure isn't off the table thanks to exit clause mechanisms.
The BBC reports McLaren is said to be exploring its options should Ricciardo depart at the end of this year.
Herta was tipped to join the Formula 1 grid this year when the Andretti family, who he races for in the IndyCar Series, sought to buy into the Alfa Romeo-backed Sauber squad.
The 22-year-old is contracted to Andretti Autosport until the end of 2023, which coincides with Ricciardo's current McLaren contract period.
Oscar Piastri could feasibly be another option for McLaren. He was added to the team's reserve driver pool this year, despite being an Alpine reserve and test drive.
The 21-year-old won last year's FIA Formula 2 Championship but has not been able to score a full-time drive in the sport's top division.
The Melburnian is managed by ex-Formula 1 driver Mark Webber, who worked closely with Seidl at Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Last week, McLaren boss Zak Brown cooled speculation that Ricciardo is on the move.
Asked whether Ricciardo would see out his contract, Brown replied, "oh yeah, yeah."
One thing is for certain, incumbent Lando Norris is set to stay.
Earlier this year, he signed a $140 million contract extension with McLaren that will keep him at the team until 2025.
Ricciardo has trailed Norris throughout 2022, out-qualifying his team-mate nine to two.
The British driver holds seventh in the drivers' championship on 64 points while the Australian only has 17 points to put him 12th in the standings.
Formula 1 resumes at Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix on July 22-24.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
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