"So much weight off my shoulders": Colton Herta rests easy despite undesirable loss to Kyle Kirkwood at Detroit GP

Colton Herta appeared visibly relieved following his performance at the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix. The 25-year-old completed the race in third position, recording his best outing of the season so far.

The Andretti Global star, who qualified in pole position, was largely forced to navigate through what turned out to be a challenging race involving various strategies at different stages. However, following the conclusion of the Grand Prix, the California native expressed how delighted he was to finish on the podium. Sharing his thoughts with the media in a video posted on X by IndyCar on FOX, he stated:

“I am happy to finally get a result, for sure. A big congratulations to Kyle [Kirkwood] and the whole Andretti Global TWG team. Yeah, it's like so much weight off my shoulders. It is a bit disappointing to get the pole and not follow it up with a win, but with how crazy this race was, just to survive it is a good thing.

I think if you told me before the race that we were going to finish third, I’d be happy because this year has been really tough. So, fast Gainbridge Honda — happy to take the Chevy here to Motor City.”

Although Colton Herta couldn’t convert his pole position into a race victory, it must be noted that his outing at the Detroit event remains his best of the 2025 season so far. The Formula 1-linked driver has seen his previous races largely hampered by a flurry of incidents, including a few pit stop issues, as witnessed at the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix and the Sonsio Grand Prix.

Herta will now aim to build on his impressive outing as he eyes a chance to clinch a race victory at the upcoming Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in Illinois.

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Colton Herta set a new lap record during Detroit Grand Prix qualifying

Colton Herta reminded the IndyCar grid of his sheer brilliance when he stormed to pole position ahead of the Detroit Grand Prix. The 25-year-old eclipsed the lap record en route to securing the top starting spot for the event.

The California native, who clinched the highest starting position for the main event, clocked a staggering 01:00.4779s to claim what was his maiden pole position of the season. The pole time achieved by the Andretti Global driver was also quicker than the 01:00.5475s he recorded during the 2024 season.

Putting Colton Herta’s record pole position time into perspective, his lap was about two-tenths quicker than that of David Malukas, who qualified in second place for the AJ Foyt team. It was also faster than that of his Andretti teammate Kyle Kirkwood by approximately three-tenths of a second — 01:00.7312.

Unfortunately for Herta, his impressive qualifying pace did not translate into a race victory. Several cautions and the impressive tire strategy from Kirkwood saw him clinch the race win ahead of his teammate.

However, Colton Herta will be much more pleased with his outing at the Detroit Grand Prix, as during the 2024 edition of the race, his pole position only led to a 19th-place finish following a collision with Tristan Vautier.