Colton Herta opens up on "huge" IndyCar breakthrough with Andretti

Colton Herta has quickly gained attention in the IndyCar scene with his formidable results since his debut. However, he was yet to win a race around an oval as all of his victories were around race courses or street circuits. This changed at last year's Music City Grand Prix, where he won his first-ever oval race and claimed it to be a huge breakthrough in his career.

Before the 24-year-old's victory at Nashville, ovals remained the only blot in his relatively new IndyCar career. Herta made his debut with Harding Racing, but switched to Andretti in 2020.

While this pair initially seemed to bag great results every once in a while, 2023 appeared to be a breaking point. Colton Herta finished the year without a victory and was 10th on the Drivers' standings.

However, the Andretti driver was not dejected for long as his 2024 campaign was his best one in the series. Herta claimed two victories and won his first oval race at Nashville at the season finale.

Sharing his thoughts on winning an oval race, he claimed it be a huge breakthrough for his racing career and said (via X/@IndyCarRadio):

"It was huge. I was so happy to be able to finally win on an oval. Something that's so hard to do in IndyCar, just because the strategy, pitstops, [and] everything has to be right that day. And for us to get it right, it means a lot. It's a long time coming for us too."

Colton Herta finished the season second in the championship, 31 points shy off championship winner Alex Palou.

---

Colton Herta is unhappy with his results despite becoming vice-champion last year

Colton Herta at the NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

With 31 points separating him from the title win, Herta was unhappy about it. He had a clear shot at the championship as after the introduction of the hybrid engines, the Andretti cars lit up the track.

However, it was not enough for the Andretti driver to surpass three-time champion Palou. The California-born driver shared his frustration ahead of the 2025 season, and said (via IndyCar on FOX):

"I mean, I'm not happy. It really sucks to finish second. As nice it is for that being my highest place, but it really sucks to be that close and not do it. So, it is always kind of 'you need to get that Championship'. And this year is no different. That's what we're working for." (2:50 onwards)

Colton Herta further revealed how he worked on his weaknesses over the winter break and would come back stronger than ever:

"Yeah, a long offseason of that there's a few things that I worked on in the offseason just looking through stuff I thought I was a little bit weak in." (3:42 onwards)

The 2025 IndyCar season will start on the streets of St. Petersburg. Herta won the 2021 iteration of the Grand Prix and has a strong record around the 1.8-mile track.