赫塔支持墨西哥IndyCar赛事，回应Pato O’Ward的推广呼吁
随着IndyCar系列赛准备前往巴塞罗那举行国际展示，车手们对将美国开放式赛车锦标赛进一步推向海外的热情正在增加。墨西哥IndyCar赛事的可能性一直是车队的热门话题。
科顿·赫塔在帕托·奥瓦尔呼吁墨西哥IndyCar赛事后表示支持
与奥瓦尔呼吁对有激情的股东承诺一致，凯迪拉克F1的测试车手表示强烈支持将美国开放式赛车锦标赛进一步向南推进
科顿·赫塔在墨西哥大奖赛的第一节自由练习中代表凯迪拉克赛车队
随着IndyCar系列赛准备前往海外，为刚刚宣布的国际展示活动在巴塞罗那做准备，将美国开放式赛车锦标赛进一步推向海外的热情正在积聚力量 - 尤其是车手们自己。
墨西哥未来举办IndyCar赛事的可能性一直是车队的热门话题，来自蒙特雷的Arrow 迈凯伦车队的Pato O'Ward作为这项运动最受欢迎的车手，处于风口浪尖。在墨西哥F1赛事期间巴塞罗那赛事确认之后，O'Ward再次表达了他对当地利益相关者的持续不满，指出阻碍他在家乡举办赛事的宣传障碍。他之前已经指出区域组织者缺乏真正的渴望和承诺，O'Ward警告说，任何在墨西哥的潜在活动都需要那些真正热衷于发展这项运动而不是仅仅寻找快速赚钱的利益相关者。
当被问及尽管有这些宣传障碍，IndyCar能否在墨西哥成功时，九次IndyCar赛事冠军和当前凯迪拉克 F1测试车手Colton Herta对这一想法表示了坚决的支持，突出了O'Ward的明星魅力和赛道独特的技术要求。
“百分之百。”Herta说，“我认为它可以同样受欢迎。其中一个重要原因是Pato和他的受欢迎程度。我认为这里的赛车将会非常精彩。我认为看到IndyCar在这条赛道上的表现将会非常有趣。特别是考虑到赛道的护栏和护栏轮廓。在IndyCar中，你通常可以对护栏采取比在F1中更激进的态度。”
Herta，26岁，有着独特的视角。尽管他与美国的开放式赛车场景紧密相连，在IndyCar中已经完成了七个全职赛季，但这位加利福尼亚州本土人本赛季一直在努力缩短与欧洲的差距——在Hitech的Formula 2中与凯迪拉克的F1项目角色并行竞争。在墨西哥城第五次FP1亮相之后，Herta本周末将在Interlagos进行他今年的第六次周五练习，以获得他长期追求的FIA超级驾照参加F1赛事所需的最后一点积分。
进一步思考开放式赛车在国际上的发展趋势以及新增加的巴塞罗那赛事日期，赫塔总结道：
“我认为这将是一场精彩的比赛。我认为巴塞罗那是件很酷的事情。我认为如果他们能在这里举办比赛那就更酷了。”
英文原文
Colton Herta backs Mexico IndyCar race following Pato O’Ward promoter callout
Echoing O'Ward's call for passionate stakeholder commitment, Cadillac F1’s test driver voices strong support for taking the American open-wheel championship further south
Colton Herta, with Cadillac Racing during FP1 of the Mexico Grand Prix.
As the IndyCar Series prepares to head overseas for its newly announced international showcase in Barcelona, enthusiasm for taking the American open-wheel championship even further abroad is gathering momentum - especially among the drivers themselves.
The prospect of a future IndyCar round in Mexico has long been a hot topic in the paddock, with Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, a native of Monterrey, front and center as the sport’s most popular driver. Speaking after the Barcelona race confirmation during the F1 round in Mexico, O'Ward renewed his ongoing frustrations with local stakeholders, noting the promotional roadblocks that have stalled a race in his home country. Having previously flagged a lack of genuine hunger and commitment among regional organizers, O'Ward warned that any prospective event in Mexico would require stakeholders who are genuinely passionate about building the sport rather than simply looking for a quick payday.
When asked whether IndyCar could succeed in Mexico despite those promotional hurdles, nine-time IndyCar race winner and current Cadillac F1 test driver Colton Herta voiced resounding support for the idea, highlighting O'Ward's star power and the unique technical demands of the track.
“A thousand percent.” Herta said. “I think it could be just as popular. A big reason for that is Pato and his popularity here. I think the racing would be incredible here. I think it would be very interesting to see what an IndyCar could do around this track. Especially with the curbing and the curb profiles. With the IndyCar you can typically be a lot more aggressive with the curbs than in the Formula 1.”
Herta, 26, speaks from a unique vantage point. Though deeply tied to the American open-wheel scene with seven full-time seasons in IndyCar, the California native has spent the season bridging the gap to Europe – competing in Formula 2 with Hitech alongside his role with Cadillac’s F1 program. Fresh off his fifth FP1 appearance in Mexico City, Herta is slated for his sixth Friday practice outing of the year at Interlagos this weekend to attain the final point necessary for his long-pursued FIA Superlicense to race in F1.
Reflecting further on the broader international trajectory of open-wheel racing and the newly minted Barcelona date, Herta concluded:
“I think it would put on a great show. I think Barcelona is a really cool thing. I think it would be cool if they could follow it up with the race here.”
Motorsport.com ·
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