Colton Herta of Andretti Global breaks his track record en route Detroit GP pole lap

Colton Herta reminded the IndyCar grid of his qualities with his impressive pole lap during the Detroit Grand Prix weekend. The 25-year-old broke the lap record at the Michigan circuit to clinch pole position for the race.

The Andretti Autosport star, who finished runner-up to Alex Palou during the 2024 IndyCar season, has struggled to find his feet through the first six races of the 2025 campaign. The California native had failed to record any pole position and has so far led only one lap — at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

However, Colton Herta did well to put these early-season struggles behind him, as he struck up a record-breaking lap around the Detroit streets. Herta qualified on pole position with a staggering time of 01:00.4779, eclipsing the existing lap record of 01:00.5475, which he set during the 2024 edition of the event.

The Andretti Autosport driver’s time was not only about seven-tenths quicker than his lap time last season, but it was also a second and seven-tenths faster than his nearest challenger for pole position, David Malukas, who could only muster up a 01:00.6492 time in his AJ Foyt car.

Colton Herta, who has largely been one of the quickest drivers through the Detroit Grand Prix weekend, will now shift focus to converting his record-breaking pole position to a race victory. The Formula 1-linked driver failed to achieve this feat in the 2024 season, as an incident involving French driver Tristan Vautier severely hampered his race, resulting in a 19th-place finish.

How Colton Herta reacted after clinching the Detroit Grand Prix pole position

Colton Herta shared his thoughts following his record pole lap at the Detroit Grand Prix. The 25-year-old detailed his excitement following the pole position start.

The Andretti driver, who had shown glimpses of his speed throughout the race weekend, put together an impressive lap to qualify fastest of the lot for the main race. Sharing his thoughts following qualifying in a video posted on X by IndyCar on FOX, he stated:

“Yeah, I mean, it was such an unknown and we were not really strong, to be completely honest, yesterday with the softer tires. But the guys did a great job overnight. Gainbridge Honda was super fast today—that is a big relief. We have been close a few times this year, not only making it to the Fast Six, but making it on a pole run.

So I'm happy to do that, happy to start P1 tomorrow—the best seat in the house—and now we just need a nice, easy race, no yellows, go back to how it was before Indy [500], make it easy for us.”

The pole position, which marks the 15th of Herta’s career, sets him up perfectly for what could be his first race victory since the 2024 Music City Grand Prix. However, drawing conclusions from the 2024 event and how the race panned out last season, a yellow flag could disrupt the momentum he has put together through qualifying for the Grand Prix.