Colton Herta's No. 26 entry loses big as IndyCar penalizes Andretti Global for Thermal Club blunder

Colton Herta's No. 26 car failed post-race technical inspections at the Thermal Club Grand Prix. On Wednesday, IndyCar announced it found Andretti Global guilty of incorrectly attaching anti-intrusion plates. The series imposed a $25,000 fine and docked 10 championship points for the No. 26 entry.

As per IndyCar, Andretti Global incorrectly attached anti-intrusion plates on the aft leg on the front lower wishbone, using only one plate on either side of the chassis instead of two each (four total). This rule was mandated in the aftermath of six-time race winner James Hinchcliffe's life-threatening crash during an Indy 500 practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015.

The Canadian crashed into the barriers at over 200mph, causing severe injuries. A piece of the suspension on his No. 5 Honda punctured his thigh and went straight into the pelvis. He was brought into the Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in a critical state and required several blood transfusions.

Because Andretti Global's violation was a Non-Race Procedure Penalty (9.2.3.), Colton Herta neither lost money nor points from the drivers' championship. It was the No. 26 entry that lost $25,000, 10 points from the entrants' championship, and all prize money from the Thermal Club GP result.

Colton Herta 'frustrated' with Andretti Global's lack of pace at Thermal Club

Colton Herta driving his No. 26 Honda at IndyCar's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Colton Herta entered the Thermal Club Grand Prix weekend, having suffered an unfortunate turn of events at the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He was in victory contention at St. Pete before Andretti Global messed up a pit stop that eventually ended with him finishing in P16.

He was massively disappointed with his No. 26 and sent a heartbreaking message on his team radio after the St. Pete race. Though the team made no such errors at the Thermal Club (apart from the newfound technical infringement), Herta's car didn't possess the pace to fight for a podium, let alone a race win. He showed brilliant race-craft to sustain his starting position of P4 when the checkered flag waved.

Herta said via IndyCar after the race,

"I think that’s probably the max we could have built for. I don’t think we were good enough to get on the podium. Unfortunately, the McLarens and (Alex) Palou seemed a little bit faster than us. It's frustrating not to be able to fight for that win but really can’t complain about a top five."

After two races, Colton Herta stands eighth in the drivers' championship standings with 47 points. The No. 26 driver has to finish fifth or higher in 2025 to earn 40 points on his FIA super license, which would make him eligible to race for the Cadillac F1 team in 2026, a move that seems highly likely with director Mario Andretti naming Herta as his top driver choice.