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Grosjean Feels ‘Very Talented’ McLaughlin Deserves Future Formula 1 Test

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Credit: Chris Owens/NTT IndyCar Series

Scott McLaughlin is worthy of a test in Formula 1 machinery, according to one of his rivals in the NTT IndyCar Series, Romain Grosjean.

McLaughlin and Grosjean both arrived in IndyCar ahead of the 2021 season, and both will be going into their third campaigns in 2023, the New Zealander continuing his allegiance with Team Penske and the Frenchman racing for a second year with Andretti Autosport after a year with Dale Coyne Racing.

Former FIA Formula 1 World Championship star Grosjean has yet to taste victory in IndyCar, but McLaughlin was a title contender in his second campaign, winning three times, as he continued his adaptation to single seaters after being the dominant driver in the Supercars Championship in Australia where he took a trio of championships between 2018 and 2020.

Grosjean reckons McLaughlin is ‘very talented’ and would excel in a Formula 1 test, and he says the performances of Álex Palou during his recent tests with the McLaren F1 Team shows IndyCar drivers should be better represented when it comes to Superlicence points, something that prevented one of Andretti Autosport’s other drivers, Colton Herta, from being on the F1 grid in 2023.

However, he does understand why Herta was denied the Superlicence, with the young American not yet having won a recognised major championship during his career, something the likes of Palou and McLaughlin have achieved.

“One of the best examples was when Palou came to COTA to do FP1 for McLaren and on the same tyres as Lando (Norris) he was two or three tenths off, which is very, very good,” said Grosjean to MotorSport Magazine.

“Colton (Herta), the picture was bigger. He has got the capacity and speed to be in F1. But if you look at his career he has never won a championship. So I also understand why he doesn’t have the points for a Super License because he hasn’t won Indy Lights or IndyCar, so why would we give him the points if he doesn’t have them?

“What I think is wrong is the amount of points we get in IndyCar. I think it should be at least at Formula 2 level, maybe more because the level is up there. There are some very fast drivers. So I think that is wrong. But the fact he didn’t have the points because he hadn’t won a championship, I get.

“But there are drivers that are very talented. One of the guys that amazed me the most is Scott McLaughlin. I think he should have a test in F1, he would be fast. That guy is very special.”

“If you think he did Supercars for so many years and is doing so well in IndyCar now, it’s very natural. I think IndyCar works a little bit different than F1 in the way you need to have experience in the race and that’s why you see the old guys doing pretty good.

“But the racing is tough and the competition is up there.”

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Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
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