Colton Herta is resigned to the fact that he will not be making the switch to Formula 1 - yet.
The FIA, and also the majority of the F1 teams, were opposed to granting the Indycar star an exemption from the strict super license rules system so he can sign up with Alpha Tauri for 2023.
Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, however, says the story is even more complex than that.
"Andretti increased their offer to Herta so that he stays there," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
Marko also said Herta's links to McLaren were a complication.
"He has to arrange the obligations to McLaren and Andretti himself if he wants to come to us," he insisted.
The biggest hurdle, though, was the missing super license - and Herta does not begrudge a driver like Nyck de Vries from moving into F1 ahead of him.
"He's already 27, 28, but with what he did in Monza, he got a lot of attention from a number of places," the 22-year-old American said.
"It proves that when you get the chance, you have to take it. He did, so all credit to him."
Herta also admits that he has unfinished business in Indycar.
"There are a few things that we and I need to improve," he said. "I'm not yet a fully championship-worthy driver - or at least I wasn't this year."
Nonetheless, he thinks opportunities still lay ahead.
"Michael (Andretti) wants to get me into F1 and that's not a short-lived offer either," he revealed.
"In the next few years there may be a few more options, like if someone wants to sell or if a new manufacturer comes in," said Herta.
