IndyCar insider hails Andretti and Colton Herta's comeback, predicts 'surprise' change in 2025

Colton Herta finished the 2024 season on a high note as he finished second in the drivers' standings with two wins under his belt, showcasing how the Andretti-Herta pair needs to be feared on the grid. Witnessing this upward trajectory, IndyCar insider and commentator, Tom Gaymor reckoned the pair can surprise people during the 2025 season.

Herta is one of the youngest drivers on the IndyCar grid for the 2025 season. Despite his young age, he has been successfully able to turn heads and made a drastic step up from his 2023 campaign, where he finished winless and with a solitary podium to his name.

However, since the introduction of the hybrid engines, it took him and Andretti only four races to get their first win. Observing this change of fortune and the synergy between the team and driver, Gaymor anticipates the pair to possibly bid for the championship in 2025 (via DIVEBOMB IndyCar podcast):

"When the hybrid arrived, it transformed Andretti's pace and I think he's marked it for the title this year. Just because I think Andretti are going to come to town on the ovals... If you look at Chip Ganassi [Racing] were blisteringly quick with the hybrid, I think Andretti and Colton Herta are going to surprise a lot of people this year," Tom Gaymor said (25:42 onwards).

During his venture with Andretti, he was taken in high regard by Red Bull F1 management and was on the brink of moving to the F1 realm. However, this deal collapsed due to him not having a super license.

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Colton Herta is done with the rumors surrounding his F1 venture

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

Since the RB (then Alphatauri) deal fell through, Colton Herta has remained focused on his venture in the American open-wheel racing scene. Regardless of his efforts to distance himself from F1, Herta's name has been in the rumor mill for a possible ticket to the European counterpart with Cadillac's new entry.

However, Herta is tired of the speculations and reckons the F1 move to be out of bounds (via Motorsport Week in January this year):

"I’ve kind of been dragged around in this talk for, it feels like, half a decade now. I’ve had the carrot in front of me for a while. I’m kind of tired of that being the case, and I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning a championship, and if something arises out of that, I’d have to think about it. It’s still not a for sure thing," Herta said.

The 2025 IndyCar season would start on March 2 at St. Petersburg, a track where Colton Herta has had a fair amount of success. He won the 2021 iteration and in his last trip to the circuit, he returned home with a podium finish.