Colton Herta takes IndyCar pole for Detroit GP: See full qualifying results and starting grid for the race

Colton Herta took the pole position for the 2025 IndyCar Detroit GP on Saturday, May 31. David Malukas will start P2 with Herta's Andretti Global teammate Kyle Kirkwood completing the Top 3. The pole position at Detroit is the first of the season for the #26 Andretti Global driver.

The drivers arrived at the Detroit GP after spending the whole month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The drivers reverted to the street setup before driving the low-downforce cars around the 2.5-mile oval.

Drivers struggled during the second practice session with the cooler conditions. Many drivers went deep into the hard braking zone as they contended with the tight and bumpy nature of the street circuit in Detroit.

Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta looked strong during the practice session, whereas Will Power struggled with the car, but still showcased a strong pace. Let's have a look at the starting grid and the qualifying highlights from the Detroit GP

2025 IndyCar Detroit GP qualifying highlights

Will Power and Alex Palou finished 1-2 during the first qualifying session for Group 1. Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong, and Rinus VeeKay were the other drivers who advanced to the next qualifying session.

Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist narrowly missed out on the next qualifying session. Callum Ilott, Kyffin Simpson, Santino Ferrucci, Devlin DeFrancesco, and Conor Daly were the other drivers who fell at the first hurdle.

Josef Newgarden clipped the rear of his Team Penske car into the barrier on his final lap during the first qualifying session in Group 2 and failed to advance to the next IndyCar session.

Colton Herta, Graham Rahal, David Malukas, Christian Rasmussen, Kyle Kirkwood, and Scott Dixon were the Top 6 from Group 2 and made it to the second qualifying session at the IndyCar Detroit GP.

Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden were the big names who failed to advance. Louis Foster and Alexander Rossi narrowly missed out on making it to the next session. Jacob Abel, Robert Shwartzman, Sting Ray Robb, and Nolan Siegel were the other drivers who failed to advance from Group 2.

Christian Lundgaard, on his first lap in the second qualifying session, went deep into the corner, caused a momentary caution, and was given a drive-through penalty for the same.

Herta, Kirkwood, Malukas, Lundgaard, Palou, and Rahal made it to the Fast Six qualifying session.

Colton Herta was the only driver to opt for the hard primary tires for the first stint in the IndyCar Fast Six while others put on the alternate tires. However, Herta pitted after just the warm-up lap and put on the soft alternate tires.

David Malukas was the first driver to complete his final stint and took the top of the timing sheets. The other five drivers then took to beating the AJ Foyt Racing driver. Colton Herta was the only driver who was able to better Malukas' time as the Cadillac F1 prospect took the pole position.

David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the Top 3. Christian Lundgaard, Graham Rahal, and Alex Palou completed the IndyCar Top 6 for the Detroit GP grid.

Colton Herta takes pole position for the 2025 IndyCar Detroit GP

Colton Herta has had a streak of unlucky qualifying and race events since the start of the 2025 season. Delayed pit stops, reliability issues, and crashes have all plagued Herta's season However, the Andretti Global driver put in a picture-perfect qualifying session at the IndyCar Detroit GP to take pole position.

Speaking with FOX Sports after the qualifying, Colton Herta said,

“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. The Gainbridge Honda was super fast today.”

“That was a big relief. We've been closed a few times this year. On making it. Not only making it fantastic, but making it on a full run. So happy to do that. Happy to start P1 tomorrow.”

Starting order for the 2025 IndyCar Detroit GP

P1 #26 Colton Herta: Andretti Global Honda

P2 #4 David Malukas: AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet

P3 #27 Kyle Kirkwood: Andretti Global Honda

P4 #7 Christian Lundgaard: Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

P5 #15 Graham Rahal: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

P6 #10 Alex Palou: Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

P7 #18 Rinus VeeKay: Dale Coyne Racing Honda

P8 #3 Scott McLaughlin: Team Penske Chevrolet

P9 #12 Will Power: Team Penske Chevrolet

P10 #9 Scott Dixon: Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

P11 #66 Marcus Armstrong: Meyer Shank Racing Honda

P12 #21 Christian Rasmussen: Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

P13 #28 Marcus Ericsson: Andretti Global Honda

P14 #45 Louis Foster: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

P15 #60 Felix Rosenqvist: Meyer Shank Racing Honda

P16 #20 Alexander Rossi: Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

P17 #90 Callum Ilott: PREMA Racing Chevrolet

P18 #5 Pato O'Ward: Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

P19 #8 Kyffin Simpson: Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

P20 #51 Jacob Abel: Dale Coyne Racing Honda

P21 #14 Santino Ferrucci: AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet

P22 #83 Robert Shwartzman: PREMA Racing Chevrolet

P23 #30 Devlin DeFrancesco: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

P24 #2 Josef Newgarden: Team Penske Chevrolet

P25 #76 Conor Daly: Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

P26 # 77: Sting Ray Robb: Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

P27 #6 Nolan Siegel: Arrow McLaren Chevrolet