Colton Herta said driving a McLaren Formula 1 car was "really special" after taking to the track at Portimao this week.
The IndyCar racer was invited by the team to test their 2021 car in Portugal after impressing across the Atlantic. McLaren chief Andreas Seidl said Herta, 22, would gain "valuable experience", while the team was using the test as an opportunity "to showcase promising drivers for the future".
The American has come close to landing a seat in F1 before, as he was in line to join Alfa Romeo if Michael Andretti's takeover of Sauber succeeded last year. He remained in IndyCar when that deal fell through, but still harbours hope of a future in F1.
Speaking after his two-day test in Portugal this week, Herta said: "It was a lot of fun. Great two days getting acclimated to the car, which is obviously quite a different car from what I'm used to driving. A little bit of a different driving style, but the engineers were very helpful getting me up to speed.
"And what a car to drive – it's really special. It's a great opportunity for me. It's hard to get in a race car without driving as fast as possible as fast as you possibly can. So that was really the goal when I got over here was to get acclimated, get up to speed and really see what I can do in the race car.
"It handled beautifully. I was able to make some set of adjustments in the afternoon and get it more to my liking. It was it was good just to kind of see what these cars are all about and see the physicality differences to an IndyCar."
With the future of Daniel Ricciardo uncertain, McLaren are making sure to explore all their options in the search for a long-term partner for Brit Lando Norris. The Australian is contracted until the end of 2023, but has largely struggled since joining the team and, as it stands, it seems unlikely that deal will be extended.
Herta would be a left-field option, as F1 rookies tend to come from Formula 2 rather than IndyCar. But his talent, and the fact he is American and the sponsorship opportunities that would bring, make him a viable candidate for an F1 drive in the future if he can keep proving his pace.
Another potential rookie option would be Oscar Piastri, the F2 champion who is contracted to Alpine – but the French team is open to a loan-style deal to allow him to join another team if there is no room among their own line-up. Alex Albon, whose Red Bull future is unknown despite his impressive start to life at Williams, is another potential candidate.
