Mario Andretti has backed IndyCar star Colton Herta for a spot in Formula 1 in the future, as the American racing legend is linked with a return to the sport himself surrounding a potential takeover of Sauber and therefore the Alfa Romeo team.

There's considerable speculation being written at the moment that Andretti is on the verge of the takeover of the team - though nothing is expected to be announced before this weekend's United States Grand Prix - and it's going to be interesting to see what that means for the final driver spot on the 2022 grid.

Valtteri Bottas, of course, has already signed a multi-year deal with Alfa as he leaves Mercedes at the end of this season but Antonio Giovinazzi, currently in the other spot with Kimi Raikkonen retiring, is yet to have his future confirmed.

And, if Andretti does takeover at Alfa it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he looks to install an American driver on the grid, with it evident he is a big fan of IndyCar ace Herta:

“It’s a matter of when this could happen, but the fact that you’re going to have two Grands Prix here, beginning next year, that’s a good thing,” he told the F1 Nation podcast.

“It would be awesome to see an American driver somewhere in there with a representative team. I see a lot of desire there, because in America, you can be quite satisfied to have a good career right here, with IndyCar or NASCAR or whatever.

“But I see clearly with Colton, Formula 1 is in his mind, very strongly and I think timing is good for him. Again, we’ll see what happens but there’s some action going on on that front.”

As mentioned earlier, Andretti Autosport are reportedly set to buy out Sauber and thus take over Alfa Romeo, meaning a spot could present itself to Herta.