Who is the next American F1 driver?

America: land of the supposed free, unbridled opportunity, some of the biggest sports teams in the world and… no Formula 1 champion for almost half a century.

Mario Andretti’s 1978 world championship triumph in the groundbreaking Lotus 79 is a long-distant memory, and no driver from the US has come close to matching his achievement since.

The disappointment of most-recent American driver Logan Sargeant’s season and a half in grand prix racing was emphasised by his replacement Franco Colapinto’s brilliant substitute performance, managing to outscore his predecessor’s entire F1 haul in just two races during 2024.

What’s been lacking? Is there a dearth of quality racing in the US? Is there something wrong with the junior ladder system? Do the tracks not pose enough of a challenge? Championships like IndyCar and IMSA take high-quality drivers from F2 when there’s no space at the F1 inn, with new entrants very often performing well, but hardly trouncing their US colleagues.

This suggests a perceived lack of quality isn’t the limiting factor in US drivers struggling to make a breakthrough to the insular, inward-looking world championship.

Though F1 now has three American championship races, it’s still searching for a Stars ‘n’ Stripes standout in one of the cars. We look at the top young US drivers racing right now – and rate their chances of making it into F1.

Colton Herta – IndyCar

Colton Herta has been a bright young US racing star in IndyCar over recent seasons.

The California-born driver made a strong impression early in his career, winning his second IndyCar race ever at COTA in 2019 at just 19 years old and securing another win that year at Laguna Seca.

He proved to be one of the fastest drivers in the series, winning races every year except 2023, though until recently he was unable to mount a fully convincing title challenge.

The 2024 season marked a breakthrough in consistency for Herta. He took a single race win at Nashville – the first on an oval – and finished second in the championship behind Alex Palou, his best title result to date.

His 2025 season had challenges, including a tough start with mechanical issues and varying race results, eventually finishing seventh in the championship standings.

Herta was previously considered a strong candidate for a Formula 1 drive, notably attracting interest from Red Bull and AlphaTauri before being blocked by a lack of superlicence points.

In a significant development for his career, Herta announced in September 2025 that he would leave IndyCar to become a test driver for the Cadillac Formula 1 team ahead of its 2026 F1 debut.

While he does not yet have enough superlicence points to race full-time in F1, this role signals a serious step toward his dream of competing in Formula 1.

He will race in Formula 2 in 2026 to earn the required points, and he could participate in some F1 practice sessions as part of Cadillac’s build-up.

The change of direction from IndyCar to Europe means Herta is, at least in theory, one step closer to becoming the US’s next F1 driver.

Kyle Kirkwood

Kyle Kirkwood remains one of the most exciting talents in American open-wheel racing with a strong track record in junior categories.

The Floridian dominated US F2000 in 2019, winning 12 of 14 races, and then secured the Indy Pro 2000 championship in 2020 with nine victories, showcasing his speed and consistency. He continued his success by winning the Indy NXT title in 2021, narrowly beating rival David Malukas.

Kirkwood began his IndyCar career with AJ Foyt Racing in 2022, demonstrating flashes of speed during his rookie season. In 2023, he moved to Andretti Autosport and quickly made an impact with impressive victories at Long Beach and Nashville. He wrapped up 2023 seventh in the IndyCar championship, showing solid progress.

In 2025, Kirkwood was considered a serious contender for the IndyCar title, but finished a distant fourth in a season dominated by Palou.

While Kyle Kirkwood hasn’t yet been widely discussed as a Formula 1 prospect compared to Herta, many believe he has the talent and credentials to deserve a chance in grand prix racing if the opportunity arises.

Jak Crawford – F2

Jak Crawford, the 19-year-old American talent from North Carolina, has continued his promising ascent through the European racing ladder in 2025.

Crawford is currently competing in his third season of Formula 2, racing with the DAMS team, and is firmly established as a championship contender. As of October 2025, he is second in the standings.

Crawford first gained attention in the European racing scene with impressive performances in ADAC F4, Italian F4, and FIA F3, where he showed race-winning speed but lacked consistent title-winning form.

However, in Formula 2, he has gained greater maturity and consistency, including a sprint race win at the Red Bull Ring in 2023 en route to a 13th-place championship finish.

His progression has been supported by his long-term inclusion in the Red Bull junior programme since 2020 and his transition to Aston Martin‘s driver development programme last year.

With a strong 2025 campaign in Formula 2 under way, Crawford is seen as a notable young talent aiming to move closer to Formula 1 in the coming years.

David Malukas – IndyCar

Driving for what is widely considered the poorest team – Dayle Coyne – in IndyCar for his debut season of 2022, David Malukas showed immediate speed and claimed a podium finish at Gateway.

He would do the same the following year, and more impressive drives would earn him a move to the McLaren IndyCar squad for 2024.

McLaren has proved better at marketing and showing just how exciting IndyCar is than the championship itself. Malukas, along with the championship’s most popular driver Pato O’Ward, appeared to be the perfect complement to this, with a rapidly growing social media profile which looked far more in tune with fans than most US racers.

This made it all the more surprising, then, when Malukas was dropped by the team due to uncertainty over a hand injury which ruled him out for the early part of 2024 – the rapid young racer seemed worth the wait.

However, six weeks later he was back with Meyer Shank Racing, immediately on the pace at both on road courses and ovals. The Chicago native led several races on his comeback, with a best race finish of sixth in Toronto.

McLaren’s loss seems to have been Penske’s gain. Malukas was snapped up by AJ Foyt for 2025 and beyond which, through a technical partnership with Penske, appears to be morphing into the IndyCar heavyweight’s junior squad. Rumours through the IndyCar paddock suggest Malukas is being primed for a promotion to Penske in the coming seasons.

Having just turned 23, Malukas could still prove to be an effective driver for a US-focused F1 team – if he scores the requisite superlicence points, of course.

Kyle Larson – NASCAR/IndyCar

While the above drivers look like outside chances at best, there’s one more driver who could surely show a turn of speed in F1.

Kyle Larson, along with being the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion and 2015 Daytona 24 Hours overall winner, is a hugely successful sprint car dirt racer.

The Californian further proved his adaptability by attempting ‘The Double’ twice, competing in the Indianapolis 500 (driving for McLaren) and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte on the same day.

In his Indianapolis 500 appearances, Larson has impressed with his adaptability and competitiveness. In 2024, he qualified an incredible fifth on his IndyCar debut and fought near the front before a pitlane speeding penalty dropped him from contention, eventually finishing 18th. The Charlotte NASCAR race that same day was cut short by rain, so he didn’t get to compete fully.

For 2025, Larson returned to attempt the Double again, eager to complete the full 1,100 miles across both races, but again fell short.

His ability to switch seamlessly between vastly different cars and racing formats – from sprint cars and NASCAR to IndyCar – highlights his rare talent and versatility.

Though there is little current discussion of Larson as a Formula 1 prospect, his broad skill set and proven racecraft across various motorsport categories suggest he could show competitive speed in any series he chooses to pursue.