Formula One runs on evolution. Second only to “who’s winning” (and it’s a close one) is the need to know what’s next. What’s the next design upgrade, the next controversy, the next regulation change, the next rule-bending innovation? One question trumps them all: Who is next? In our Next Generation series, we’ll meet some of the most exciting up-and-coming talents on the road to F1, and the folks helping them get there.
Advertisement
Standing on the apex of Mirabeau Bas, the downhill right-hand corner that is part of the Monaco Grand Prix’s challenging, legendary circuit, Keelan Harvick’s joy was evident.
The 10-year-old son of NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick, Keelan was walking the same streets where so many Formula One legends have tasted success and setbacks. As iconic circuits go, none are grander than Monaco.
Keelan posed for a photo at that turn, arm raised with joy. When he posted it to Twitter, the caption read, “Maybe one day.” To him, the dream one day is to race in F1. For that to be the goal of a second-generation racer in a NASCAR family at such a young age makes him an outlier.
Maybe one day 🏎️ 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/jZfCXKIxGW
— Keelan Harvick (@KeelanHarvick) April 25, 2023
Realizing that dream is still a long way off for the younger Harvick. He’s currently racing in go-karts with the full support of his dad, whom he wants to emulate by becoming a professional racer.
But to give oxygen to that F1 dream, sticking to the US racing ladder, like his father did, simply won’t cut it. Racing in Europe is the only option.
“If you don’t make the move,” said Logan Sargeant, America’s only current F1 driver, “you’re just a step behind.”
A different way of racing
The Harvicks have taken the first steps to make that happen. Keelan has been go-karting in Italy, getting a feel for the racing culture on the other side of the Atlantic. It gives him a crucial understanding of some of the most competitive kart categories.
Speaking to The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck last year, Kevin Harvick said the goal was to “take (Keelan) as far outside of his element as possible, race people he doesn’t know in a country where he doesn’t understand the language, do a lot of it on his own to figure it out.”
Harvick Sr. added: “You either sink or swim. So you can either figure it out, or you cannot do well.”
Advertisement
The European racing environment is very different from the United States. The tracks are the same ones the current F1 stars raced on when they were kids in go-karts. The teams are the same ones who have helped drivers on their way up the European ladder, boasting the best facilities and equipment. They know what it takes to bring the best out of young drivers and turn them into future stars. Regional championships are plentiful, offering tough competition, and geography also works in the favor of the European scene: a smaller landmass allows drivers to criss-cross the continent and race against the very best from the UK, Germany, Italy, France, and so on. And all that’s before even stepping up to the lowest single-seater car series, Formula 4.
“The racing in the States, in go-karting and then the junior levels, isn’t anywhere near as competitive as it is in Europe,” Trevor Carlin, whose eponymous team races in junior categories, told The Athletic.
“You can be winning in go-karting in the States, or Formula 4 in the States, Formula Renault in the States. But when you come to Europe, you haven’t learned enough, and all of a sudden, you’re P20 on the grid.”
Carlin, who has seen the likes of Sargeant, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel race for his team, also highlighted the change in climate and lifestyle that could put drivers off.
“The ones that are going to go all the way, like Logan, they come here and suffer the bad weather, the bad food, the traffic, all that,” said Carlin.
“Imagine you’re a rich kid from Florida, living in Fort Lauderdale. Why would you want to be in a one-bedroom apartment in Milton Keynes? It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!
“It then makes the European level drivers tougher straight away.”
Red Bull had planned to give an AlphaTauri seat to IndyCar driver Colton Herta for 2023. But because Herta had not finished high enough in the championship in IndyCar, he did not qualify for a superlicence. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)Toughing it out
Those who do make the switch can reap greater rewards down the line.
Advertisement
The flow of American drivers to F1 is not a steady one. Logan Sargeant made his debut this year for Williams, and he was the first American to start a grand prix since Alexander Rossi’s five-race stint at the end of 2015. The last full-time American was Scott Speed, who raced for Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2006 and the first half of 2007 before he was dropped.
Getting there was no easy road, even before the funding issues that nearly brought his career to a halt after Formula 3. When he was a teenager still in go-karts, he upped sticks and moved to Europe, starting a new life, all to make it right through to F1.
“It is a big sacrifice,” said Sargeant. “But I think if you want to reach Formula 1, that’s the way you have to do it.” Other drivers from outside of Europe, such as Mexico’s Sergio Pérez and China’s Zhou Guanyu, faced a similar challenge.
GO DEEPER
Why Logan Sargeant nearly had to quit racing — and why Williams pulled him back in
Even with Sargeant’s graduation at the end of last year, three American drivers are still in F2: Jak Crawford, Juan Manuel Correa, and Brad Benevides. Crawford is a member of Red Bull’s driver academy and scored his first F2 victory in the Austria sprint race last weekend. Without Red Bull’s support, he’d have likely stayed on the American ladder.
“You really have to start in karting,” said Crawford. “I came over in 2018 for my first half-season of European karting. To be honest, I was going on an American path until I got the opportunity with Red Bull. I’ve somehow ended up over here, which is for the better.”
The American ladder offers big appeals, particularly leading up to IndyCar through the Road to Indy scheme. The stepping stones of US F2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights) offer scholarships to their champions that help them move up to the next rung on the ladder. With victory in Long Beach earlier this year for Andretti Autosport, Kyle Kirkwood became the first driver to win in all four categories, speaking to the system’s success.
But if a driver still harbors dreams of moving across to Europe to race in F1, even success in IndyCar is no guarantee. Red Bull had planned to give the seat at its sister team, AlphaTauri, to Andretti’s Colton Herta for 2023. But because Herta had not finished high enough in the championship in IndyCar, he did not qualify for a superlicense, which has a points system that better rewards the European series. AlphaTauri signed Nyck de Vries instead.
Advertisement
Carlin said the superlicense system was “very, very flawed” and “not fit for purpose.”
“Colton Herta is eminently qualified to be a Formula 1 driver, as are probably the top 10 in IndyCar currently,” he added. “They would all be respectable, they would all be fast, they’d be professional. They’d all be absolutely eligible.”
American Jak Crawford is a member of Red Bull’s driver academy and scored his first F2 victory in the Austria sprint race last weekend. Without Red Bull’s support, he’d have likely stayed on the American ladder. (Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)Growing American interest
Sargeant ended a long drought for Americans on the F1 grid. But as the surge of interest in the United States leads to increased awareness, it could also lead to a greater flower of American drivers. Kids getting into go-karts for the first time do so not dreaming only of IndyCar or NASCAR but of F1 too.
“You’ve got a lot of kids in the world, boys and girls that are obsessed with watching ‘Drive to Survive,’ and all of a sudden, they all want to be Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen,” said Carlin. “I think the whole base of competitors will grow.”
GO DEEPER
How Formula 2 became the launchpad for F1’s next generation
Sargeant is already seeing a shift in the lower categories. “I look at the karting list nowadays, and I see a lot of American kids in it,” he said. “It’s good to see. I’m actually familiar with a few of the names from sons of previous drivers.”
The name “Harvick” is guaranteed to stand out on any karting entry list. Although the competition Keelan faces to make his Monaco F1 dream a reality someday promises to be tough, racing in Europe is a big step toward making it happen.
The Next Generation series is part of a partnership with Chanel. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Lead photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports; Design: Eamonn Dalton)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k29tcXBoZnxzfJFsZmlvX2WDcK3Mnqmim5Gjeqd9jJ2poq6Vp8But8Seo5qmXZ2us8LInKJo