Colton Herta
Herta at the 2021 Grand Prix of Long Beach
NationalityUnited States American
BornColton Thomas Herta
(2000-03-30) March 30, 2000
Santa Clarita, California, United States
IndyCar Series career
82 races run over 6 years
Team(s)No. 26 (Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian)
Best finish2020 (3rd)
First race2018 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma (Sonoma)
Last race2023 Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca)
First win2019 IndyCar Classic (Austin)
Last win2022 GMR Grand Prix (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
7 12 11
Previous series
2017–2018Indy Lights

Colton Thomas Herta (born March 30, 2000) is an American open-wheel racing driver currently competing in the NTT IndyCar Series for Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian.[1] He is the youngest person to ever win an IndyCar Series race.[2]

He is the son of IndyCar and Champ Car driver Bryan Herta.

Early years

Karting

Herta made his karting debut in 2010 at the age of 10, racing karts in the SKUSA and IKF series, although he had been karting since the age of 6. He made his single debut at 13, finishing second in the SBF2000 Winter Series. In 2014, he made his formula car debut in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, finishing 15th in the championship despite missing the opening weekend due to age requirements. In the same year, Herta made his International Formula racing debut in Sepang, Malaysia with the AsiaCup Series, taking part in one event where he won 1 race win and 3 podium finishes. Herta also made a one-off appearance in the Global RallyCross Championship Lites, being the youngest driver to compete in the series.

Racing in Europe

Herta racing at Brands Hatch in British Formula 4.

In 2015, he made his debut in the UK-based MSA Formula series, as the youngest driver and the only American on a grid that consisted mostly of Britons, and got his first win in the second race at Snetterton Circuit in August, thus helping the United States win the Nations Cup. He went on to collect three more victories throughout the season, finishing third overall.[3]

For 2016, he was planning to move to the newly renamed BRDC British F3 series but was too young to compete at the opening round.[4] Wanting to complete a full season he made the switch to the Euroformula Open Championship, staying with Carlin and finished third in points, with four victories, six podium finishes, and five pole positions. Herta went on to compete in six British F3 events, earning three podium finishes including a victory at Brands Hatch.

Indy Lights

Herta driving at Portland during the 2018 Indy Lights season.

In 2017 Herta joined forces with the newly formed Steinbrenner Racing to pilot the 98-car in the Indy Lights Series.[5] He started the year strong with a second-place finish in the first race at St. Petersburg street circuit and followed it up with a Sunday victory; Colton's first win in Indy Lights. He got his 2nd victory at the next event at Barber Motorsports Park, the series' 400th race. Herta won Rookie of the Year and finished 3rd in the drivers championship.

In 2018, Herta remained in Indy Lights. He won four races, including all three held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (both races of the GP of Indianapolis and the Freedom 100 on the speedway). Herta finished 2nd in points to his Andretti teammate Patricio O'Ward.

IndyCar

Also in 2018, Herta debuted in IndyCar at the season finale in Sonoma with Harding Racing.[6]

Harding Steinbrenner Racing

2019: Rookie season

Herta celebrating his first win at the Circuit of the Americas in 2019

For the 2019 IndyCar season, Herta signed to drive the No. 88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing car. Herta was the first IndyCar Series driver born in the 2000s to start a race. On March 24, 2019, at the age of 18, Herta became the youngest-ever winner in IndyCar history by winning the IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas.[7] He qualified 5th for the Indianapolis 500, but retired after just four laps after a gearbox failure. On June 22, 2019, at the age of 19, Herta became the youngest-ever pole-sitter at Road America. He won again at Laguna Seca, and finished 7th in the overall standings, just 5 points behind Rookie of the Year Felix Rosenqvist.

Andretti Autosport

2020: Sophomore season

Herta again drove the #88 car for Harding Steinbrenner Racing in 2020, with additional backing from Andretti Autosport. Herta finished 7th in the opening round of the 2020 IndyCar season at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished 8th at the Indianapolis 500. On September 13, 2020, Herta won the second of two races held at Mid-Ohio. He scored a runner-up finish at the Indianapolis road course's Saturday race. With seven top 5s in 14 races, he ranked third in points.

2021: Three more wins

Herta driving in the 2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix

Going into 2021, Herta was seen as the strongest challenger in the Andretti stable to Scott Dixon for the IndyCar title. For 2021 Herta would move from the #88 Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Racing car to the #26 Andretti Autosport with Curb Agajanian car with backing from Indianapolis 500 title sponsor Gainbridge. Herta started his season caught up in an accident caused by Josef Newgarden in Alabama but earned his first win of the season at St. Petersburg, his first win on a street circuit.[8] He would secure two podium finishes before his second win of the season; a second-place at Road America and third place at the second round on the IMS Road Course. He was frequently beset by poor strategy, mechanical issues, and driving errors. Most notable of these was at the inaugural round in Nashville; Herta would qualify on pole position for the race,[9] lead most of the race, lost the lead under caution to Marcus Ericsson, and crashed out of the race attempting to take the lead back from Ericsson in the closing laps.[10] Herta was in place to win the race at Texas Motor Speeday but would have to retire the car due to a broken half shaft that happened during a pitstop. Herta would pick up his second win of the season at Laguna Seca, where he led all but one lap of the race to win from pole.[11] He finished the season off with a come from behind victory on The Streets of Long Beach when he started fourteenth and worked his way rapidly through the field to take the lead from Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon to win his third race of the season. He ultimately finished the season fifth in the championship standings.[12]

2022: A difficult season

After intense speculation that he would be making a move to Formula One, Andretti Autosport and Herta announced that he would be racing in IndyCar in 2022, partnering Alexander Rossi, Romain Grosjean, and Devlin DeFrancesco. Herta struggled in the initial rounds of the season, including crashing after losing the lead at Long Beach, but picked up his first win of the season at the GMR Grand Prix. Herta was in place to win the second race at the IMS road course before a mechanical failure would cause him to have to retire the car for the day and his teammate Alexander Rossi would win.

2023

Herta in 9th place at the GMR Grand Prix

Herta initially signed a multi-year contract to remain with Andretti Autosport,[13] though this would be later to be extended to 2027.[14] The season so far has been so frustrating, with errors in back-to-back pole races, but then finished 3rd in Toronto. He has had 3 top 5 finishes so far.

Sports car racing

Herta participated in the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona in a BMW M8 GTE for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He, along with co-drivers Connor De Phillippi, Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng, won the race in the GTLM class.

Herta drove both BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona. Here he is in the number 25.

Herta returned to Daytona participate in the 2022 edition, partnering fellow IndyCar drivers Pato O'Ward and Devlin DeFrancesco along with Eric Lux in an LMP2 entry for DragonSpeed.[15] The quartet won after Herta took the lead in the final 11 minutes of the race.[16]

In late 2022 Herta was confirmed as one of the drivers for the new BMW M Hybrid V8 prototype to be fielded by Rahal Letterman Lannigan racing during the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Formula One

With the attempted purchase of Sauber by Andretti Autosport, Herta was the favorite candidate to join Formula One with Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season partnering Valtteri Bottas. He got to mold the seat and do a test with the simulator at the team's base in Hinwil, Switzerland, where according to multiple reports and Mario Andretti,[17] he set faster times than Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, then Alfa Romeo's lineup. A preliminary agreement was reached with Ferrari to hold a 300 km test with a Formula One car so that Herta could participate in free practice in the United States, Mexico City and Sao Paulo Grand Prix. However, those tests never happened and the negotiations between Andretti and Sauber broke down at the end of 2021, the purchase never took place and Alfa Romeo signed Zhou Guanyu for 2022.[18]

In March 2022, Herta was signed by McLaren as a development driver in the 2022 season to test the MCL35M from 2021.[19] He took part in his first test drive from 11–13 July around Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, which results have said to have "seriously impressed" industry insiders.[20]

In 2022, Red Bull began to show interest in having Herta as an AlphaTauri driver for 2023.[21] Herta however lacked enough points to obtain a super license, which is necessary to be able to contest in Formula One. Red Bull began efforts to obtain it by asking the FIA to consider making an exception for Herta.[22] Red Bull reached an agreement with Alpine for Herta to be included in the tests with its Formula One cars in September in Hungary, which the French team was organizing to choose its driver in 2023.[23][24] Alpine would accept, so that Herta could get some extra points in his super license and that the AlphaTauri driver, Pierre Gasly, was free to join the French team.[25] Ultimately the FIA's refused to make an exception for Herta,[26] Red Bull would abandon its efforts to bring the American driver to Formula One and Herta did not participate in the tests with Alpine.[27]

Personal life

Herta plays the drums and is a member of indie punk rock band The Zibs, which he formed in 2018 with his high school friends Jon Graber and Chris Broadbent.[28]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2012–13 SBF2000 Winter Series N/A 12 1 1 0 4 287 6th
2013 Pacific Formula F1600 PR1/BHA with Curb-Agajanian 15 10 6 10 15 413 1st
2014 GRC Lites AD Racing 1 N/A 0 N/A N/A 16 15th
U.S. F2000 National Championship JAY Motorsports 12 0 0 1 0 115 15th
2015 MSA Formula Championship Carlin 30 4 3 8 12 355 3rd
2016 Euroformula Open Championship Carlin 16 4 5 4 7 199 3rd
Spanish Formula 3 Championship 6 2 2 1 4 94 2nd
BRDC British Formula 3 Championship 6 1 0 1 3 109 19th
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 13th
2017 Indy Lights Andretti Steinbrenner Racing 16 2 7 3 7 300 3rd
2018 Indy Lights 17 4 3 7 13 447 2nd
IndyCar Series Harding Racing 1 0 0 0 0 20 37th
2019 IndyCar Series Harding Steinbrenner Racing 17 2 3 2 2 420 7th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTLM BMW Team RLL 3 1 0 0 2 89 14th
2020 IndyCar Series Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport 14 1 1 0 2 421 3rd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTLM BMW Team RLL 3 0 0 0 0 79 9th
2021 IndyCar Series Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian 16 3 3 2 5 311 5th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Turner Motorsport 2 1 1 1 1 285 50th
2022 IndyCar Series Andretti Autosport 17 1 2 1 2 381 10th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 DragonSpeed USA 1 1 0 0 1 0 NC
Formula One McLaren F1 Team Test driver
2023 IndyCar Series Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian 17 0 2 0 1 356 10th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP BMW M Team RLL 1 0 0 0 0 274 24th
2024 IndyCar Series Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian

* Season still in progress.

Complete Euroformula Open Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DC Points
2016 Carlin Motorsport EST
1
Ret		 EST
2
5		 SPA
1
6		 SPA
2
5		 LEC
1
18		 LEC
2
EX		 SIL
1
2		 SIL
2
Ret		 RBR
1
1		 RBR
2
1		 MNZ
1
16		 MNZ
2
4		 JER
1
1		 JER
2
4		 CAT
1
2		 CAT
2
1		 3rd 199

American open-wheel racing results

U.S. F2000 National Championship

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points
2014 JAY Motorsports STP STP BAR
19		 BAR
7		 IMS
5		 IMS
20		 LOR
14		 TOR
5		 TOR
14		 MDO
10		 MDO
16		 MDO
13		 SNM
7		 SNM
9		 15th 115

Indy Lights

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points
2017 Andretti Steinbrenner Racing STP
2		 STP
1		 ALA
10		 ALA
1		 IMS
12		 IMS
10		 INDY
13		 RDA
12		 ROA
3		 IOW
4		 TOR
4		 TOR
10		 MDO
2		 MDO
6		 GMP
3		 WGL
3		 3rd 300
2018 Andretti Steinbrenner Racing STP
3		 STP
8		 ALA
2		 ALA
3		 IMS
1		 IMS
1		 INDY
1		 RDA
1		 RDA
2		 IOW
2		 TOR
7		 TOR
6		 MDO
2		 MDO
2		 GTW
2		 POR
2		 POR
4		 2nd 447

IndyCar Series

(key)

Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Rank Points Ref
2018 Harding Racing Dallara DW12 88 Chevrolet STP PHX LBH ALA IMS INDY DET DET TXS RDA IOW TOR MDO POC GTW POR SNM
20		 37th 20 [29]
2019 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda STP
8		 COA
1		 ALA
24		 LBH
23		 IMS
23		 INDY
33		 DET
12		 DET
12		 TXS
18		 RDA
8		 TOR
7		 IOW
18		 MDO
8		 POC
16		 GTW
9		 POR
4		 LAG
1		 7th 420 [30]
2020 Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport TXS
7		 IMS
4		 ROA
5		 ROA
5		 IOW
19		 IOW
19		 INDY
8		 GTW
4		 GTW
6		 MDO
9		 MDO
1		 IMS
4		 IMS
2		 STP
11		 3rd 421 [31]
2021 Andretti Autosport 26 ALA
22		 STP
1		 TXS
22		 TXS
5		 5th 455 [32]
Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian IMS
13		 INDY
16		 DET
14		 DET
4		 ROA
2		 MDO
13		 NSH
19*		 IMS
3		 GTW
18		 POR
8		 LAG
1*		 LBH
1*
2022 STP
4		 TXS
12		 LBH
23		 ALA
10		 IMS
1*		 INDY
30		 DET
8		 ROA
5		 MDO
15		 TOR
2		 IOW
24		 IOW
12		 IMS
24		 NSH
5		 GTW
11		 POR
6		 LAG
11		 10th 381 [33]
2023 STP
20		 TXS
7		 LBH
4		 ALA
14		 IMS
9		 INDY
9		 DET
11		 ROA
5*		 MDO
11		 TOR
3		 IOW
19		 IOW
7		 NSH
21		 IMS
13		 GTW
6		 POR
13		 LAG
23		 10th 356 [34]
2024 Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian STP
 TRM
 LBH
 ALA
 IMS
 INDY
 DET
 ROA
 LAG
 MDO
 IOW
 IOW
 TOR
 GTW
 POR
 MIL
 MIL
 NSH
 - 0

Indianapolis 500

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
2019 Dallara Honda 5 33 Harding Steinbrenner Racing
2020 Dallara Honda 10 8 Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport
2021 Dallara Honda 2 16 Andretti Autosport
2022 Dallara Honda 25 30 Andretti Autosport
2023 Dallara Honda 21 9 Andretti Autosport

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2019 BMW Team RLL GTLM BMW M8 GTE BMW S63 4.0 L Twin-turbo V8 DAY
1		 SEB
7		 LBH MDO WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA PET
3		 14th 89
2020 BMW Team RLL GTLM BMW M8 GTE BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
5		 DAY SEB ELK VIR ATL MDO CLT PET
6		 LGA SEB
4		 9th 79
2021 Turner Motorsport GTD BMW M6 GT3 BMW 4.4 L Turbo V8 DAY
6		 SEB MDO DET WGL WGL LIM
 ELK LGA LBH VIR PET 50th 285
2022 DragonSpeed USA LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 V8 DAY
1†		 SEB LGA MDO WGL ELK PET NC† 0†
2023 BMW M Team RLL GTP BMW M Hybrid V8 BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
6		 SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS ELK IMS PET 24th 274
2024 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport GTP Acura ARX-06 Acura AR24e 2.4 L Turbo V6 DAY SEB LBH LGA DET WGL ELK IMS ATL
Source:[35]

† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. * Season still in progress.

References

  1. ↑ "Herta switching to Andretti's Gainbridge-backed No. 26". RACER. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  2. ↑ Eubanks, Michael (2019-03-24). "Colton Herta wins inaugural IndyCar Classic at COTA, becomes youngest winner in series history". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  3. ↑ Jackson, Connor. "Herta Crosses the Line on MSA Formula's Inaugural Season". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Henbsy, Paul. "Carlin Announce Herta and Vaidyanathan for EuroFormula Open". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Colton Herta joins new Steinbrenner (as in the Yankees) Racing Indy Lights team". Autoweek. December 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Harding Steinbrenner Racing formed to field two cars in 2019 IndyCar Series".
  7. ↑ Malsher, David (March 24, 2019). "COTA IndyCar: Herta becomes series' youngest ever winner". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Colton Herta beats Newgarden to win IndyCar St. Petersburg - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  9. ↑ Ryan, Nate (7 August 2021). "Colton Herta takes pole in starting lineup for inaugural Music City Grand Prix in Nashville". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Ryan, Nate (9 August 2021). "IndyCar results and points standings after inaugural Music City Grand Prix at Nashville". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Herta scores dominant victory at Laguna Seca". RACER. 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  12. ↑ Ryan, Nate (27 September 2021). "IndyCar results and points standings after Long Beach". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Herta finalizes multi-year IndyCar contract extension with Andretti". racer.com. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Malsher-Lopez, David (26 October 2022). "Herta extends Andretti Autosport contract through 2027". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Ryan, Nate (20 December 2021). "IndyCar stars Colton Herta, Pato O'Ward set as Rolex 24 teammates in DragonSpeed LMP2". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  16. ↑ Ryan, Nate (2022-01-30). "2022 Rolex 24 results: Helio Castroneves wins for Shank - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  17. ↑ GPfans.com (March 2022). "Andretti reveals Herta test plan after outperforming Raikkonen and Giovinazzi". GPfans. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  18. ↑ "Un vuelo a Suiza y un test fallido: la intrahistoria de la "casi llegada" de Colton Herta". Motor.es (in Spanish). 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  19. ↑ "McLaren signs Herta to Formula 1 development deal". RACER. 2022-03-12. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  20. ↑ "McLaren Racing - Colton Herta to test with the McLaren Formula 1 Team in Portimão". McLaren. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  21. ↑ "¿Quién es Colton Herta y por qué Red Bull lo eligió para la Fórmula 1?". MARCA (in Mexican Spanish). 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  22. ↑ "FIA considering Colton Herta's F1 superlicence credentials". www.motorsport.com. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  23. ↑ "Alpine to test four contenders for 2023 drive ahead of Singapore Grand Prix". RacingNews365. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  24. ↑ "Herta poised for Alpine test as AlphaTauri F1 interest continues". www.motorsport.com. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  25. ↑ "Acuerdo para que Herta fiche por AlphaTauri y liberar a Gasly rumbo Alpine". SoyMotor.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  26. ↑ "FIA "won't be pressured" as Herta F1 superlicence claim set to fail". www.motorsport.com. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  27. ↑ "Herta's F1 switch off as Red Bull abandons efforts". www.motorsport.com. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  28. ↑ Eubanks, Michael (1 November 2019). "Rockin' and Racin': Colton Herta and 'The Zibs' to tour this month". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  29. ↑ "Colton Herta – 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Colton Herta – 2019 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Colton Herta – 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Colton Herta – 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Colton Herta – 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Colton Herta – 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Colton Herta Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
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