Red Bull were preparing to put Colton Herta into their DTM set-up in Spielberg this weekend, but abandoned their efforts, according to a report by Motorsport-Total.com.
The American has been in IndyCar since 2018, starting his career in the American series in 2018 with Harding, before Andretti came on board in 2020.
Herta has won four races with the side, and that has earned him 32 of the required 40 points to qualify for a super license.
This will prevent him from entering Formula 1 next year, despite the efforts of both Red Bull and McLaren to prepare him for a drive.
READ: McLaren boss admits concern about Red Bull ‘snatching’ their driver for 2023
McLaren gave the 22-year-old a test in Portugal earlier in the year, but they have since signed Alpine reserve, Oscar Piastri, to their line-up alongside Lando Norris in 2023.
Red Bull showed interest in Herta when Alpine started snooping around for AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, so they need a replacement for the Frenchman in case he leaves.
However, they could not convince the FIA to grant the Andretti driver an exception, so they were ultimately forced to abandon their efforts.
Nyck de Vries has since emerged as another potential option for the Red Bull junior side, who have recently extended Yuki Tsunoda’s contract.
In preparation for what would have been a drive with the Faenza-based crew, Red Bull reportedly entered Herta as a guest participant for their DTM AlphaTauri team in Austria this weekend.
READ: FIA criticised after American racer blocked from joining Red Bull due to ‘money’
He was allegedly set to race alongside Felipe Fraga and Nick Cassidy, after Ayanchan Guven and Sebastien Loeb made guest appearances of their own earlier in 2022.
However, when it became apparent that Herta was not going to be an option, Red Bull reportedly pulled him from those duties.
AlphaTauri are fourth in the teams’ championship in the DTM series on 101 points, with Cassidy and Fraga claiming one win a piece.