Colton Herta: IndyCar's Youngest Winner Chases Formula 1

Colton Herta is an American racing driver born on 30 March 2000 and the son of former IndyCar driver Bryan Herta. He became the youngest winner in IndyCar history at the age of eighteen, and he finished second in the 2024 championship. In 2026 he races in Formula 2 for Hitech while serving as a Cadillac Formula One test and development driver.

Who is Colton Herta?

Colton Thomas Herta grew up around racing, with a father who had competed in both IndyCar and Champ Car. He started karting at the age of six and made his competitive debut in 2010, when he was ten, racing in the SKUSA and IKF series. By thirteen he had moved into single-seaters and finished second in the SBF2000 Winter Series.

He spent the 2018 to 2025 period in IndyCar, switching teams as his career developed. Away from the car, he is also the drummer for the indie punk band The Zibs, a group he formed in 2018 with school friends.

IndyCar's youngest winner at eighteen, a 2024 title runner-up, and now a Formula 2 campaign aimed at a Formula 1 seat.

How did Herta's junior career take shape?

Herta made his professional debut in 2014 in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, finishing 15th despite missing the opening weekend because of age rules. That year he also made his international formula debut at Sepang in the AsiaCup Series, winning one race and taking three podiums. He was also the youngest competitor in the Global RallyCross Championship Lites.

In 2015 he entered the MSA Formula series in Britain, becoming the youngest driver on a grid that was largely made up of British drivers. He was the only American there, and his first win came at Snetterton in August. He added three more wins over the season and finished third overall, which helped the United States win the Nations Cup.

The 2016 Euroformula Open saw him finish third in points, with four victories, six podiums and five pole positions. He also took a British F3 win at Brands Hatch that year. Those results marked him out as a rising talent in European single-seaters.

How did Herta perform in Indy Lights?

In 2017 Herta joined Steinbrenner Racing in Indy Lights, driving the No. 98 car. He finished second in the first race at St Petersburg and then won the Sunday race, his first win in the series. He took a second victory at Barber Motorsports Park, which was the series' 400th race, and he was named Rookie of the Year and finished third in the drivers' championship.

His 2018 season was the strongest of his Indy Lights career. He won four races, including all three events held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he finished second in points to Patricio O'Ward. The results made him a serious IndyCar prospect, and he made his IndyCar debut that autumn at Sonoma for Harding Racing.

What made Herta's 2019 rookie season stand out?

In 2019 Herta drove the No. 88 car for Harding Steinbrenner Racing. He was the first IndyCar driver born in the 2000s to start a race, and on 24 March 2019 he won the IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas. At eighteen he became the youngest winner in the series' history.

He qualified fifth for the Indianapolis 500 that year but retired after four laps with a gearbox failure. In June he took pole at Road America at the age of nineteen, the youngest pole-sitter in the event's history, and he went on to win at Laguna Seca. He finished seventh in the standings, five points behind the rookie of the year, Felix Rosenqvist.

How did Herta's 2019 Indianapolis 500 end?

Herta qualified fifth for the 2019 Indianapolis 500, but his race ended after four laps with a gearbox failure. It was a sharp contrast with his Circuit of the Americas win earlier that spring, when he became the youngest winner in the series.

He took pole at Road America later that June and then won at Laguna Seca, so the Indianapolis setback did not define his rookie year. He ended the season seventh overall.

How did Herta's IndyCar results develop from 2020 to 2024?

Herta stayed with the No. 88 car in 2020 with additional backing from Andretti Autosport. He finished eighth at the Indianapolis 500 and won the second of two races at Mid-Ohio on 13 September. He ended the season third in points with seven top-five finishes in fourteen races.

For 2021 he moved to Andretti Autosport and the No. 26 car. He won at St Petersburg, the first of his street-circuit wins, followed by Laguna Seca and a comeback victory at Long Beach from fourteenth on the grid. He finished fifth in the championship with three wins.

His 2022 season was harder. He won the GMR Grand Prix at the start of the season, but the Andretti team struggled for consistency, and teammate Alexander Rossi won the second race at the IMS road course after a mechanical failure ended Herta's run.

In 2023 he was winless, though he took three top-five finishes, a podium at Toronto and back-to-back poles at Mid-Ohio and Road America. The season ended tenth in the standings.

How good was the 2024 IndyCar season for Herta?

The 2024 season was his best in IndyCar. He qualified on pole and won at Toronto, his first win in two years, and at the final race of the season he took his first oval victory at Nashville Superspeedway. Those results lifted him to second in the championship behind Alex Palou.

He also became the highest-scoring Andretti Autosport driver of the modern IndyCar era, a mark not reached since Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012. The runner-up position was the highest points total of his career.

Did Herta race sportscars as well as open-wheelers?

Yes. At the 2019 Daytona 24 Hours he won the GTLM class in a BMW M8 GTE for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. In 2022 he returned to Daytona to win the LMP2 class with DragonSpeed, taking the lead in the final eleven minutes.

In 2024 he drove an Acura for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport and won his first overall IMSA race at the 12 Hours of Sebring. In 2026 he is competing part-time in IMSA with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing.

Why did Herta's Formula One ambitions stall?

Herta was a regular name in Formula One talk from 2021 onwards. He tested for the Alfa Romeo team in a simulator, and McLaren used him as a development driver in 2022, testing the MCL35M at Portimao in July. Red Bull also showed interest, but he lacked the points needed for an FIA Super Licence.

Red Bull sought an exception from the FIA for Herta, and it arranged a test with Alpine at the Hungaroring. The FIA refused the exception, so Red Bull dropped its efforts. In late 2024 Cadillac's entry was linked to his name, but the team's first drivers were announced as Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

Where does Herta's career stand in 2026?

Herta was named Cadillac's test and development driver for 2026 and joined Hitech Grand Prix for the Formula 2 season. To earn enough points for a 2027 Super Licence he needs an outright top-eight finish in Formula 2, or a top-ten finish combined with free practice points.

He made his Formula One practice debut at Barcelona in 2026, replacing Perez in first practice and finishing 21st in his maiden session. The aim remains a race seat, and the route is now the Formula 2 championship.

How did Herta's 2021 season unfold?

Herta won three races in 2021, at St Petersburg, Laguna Seca and Long Beach, and he finished fifth in the championship. Early in the year he was caught up in an accident caused by Josef Newgarden at Alabama, and the season then swung between strong pace and bad luck.

At Nashville, the series' inaugural round, he qualified on pole and led most of the race. He lost the lead under caution to Marcus Ericsson and crashed while trying to take it back in the closing laps. At Gateway he was running in front when a half-shaft failure during a pit stop forced his retirement.

Road America brought him second place, and the second round on the IMS road course gave him third. At Laguna Seca he led all but one lap from pole, and at Long Beach he started fourteenth and worked his way through the field to win.

Why did the 2026 Indianapolis 500 plan fall through?

Herta had planned to drive the No. 98 Andretti car at the 2026 Indianapolis 500, using a break in the Formula 2 calendar. A schedule change moved the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds to Miami and Canada, and the Canadian round clashed with the race, so he scrapped the plan.

The original plan rested on a break in the Formula 2 calendar after the third round in Saudi Arabia. That gap made a May start at Indianapolis workable for him, which is why the entry looked likely for much of the year.

Once the cancellations were confirmed, the schedule shifted and the Canadian round landed on the same weekend as the 500. Herta had to scrap his Indianapolis plans once the reschedule was announced.

What is Herta's role at Cadillac in 2026?

Herta is Cadillac's test and development driver for Formula One in 2026, while racing in Formula 2 for Hitech Grand Prix. His practice debut came at Barcelona, where he replaced Sergio Perez in the first session and finished 21st.

The Cadillac route followed a difficult period. Mario Andretti, a member of the team's board, had suggested that one of the two seats would most likely go to Herta, but Cadillac later filled both seats with Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Herta had fallen short of the fourth-place finish needed for a Super Licence for 2026.

Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss then said Herta would aim for a Formula 2 seat to gather enough Super Licence points, and Cadillac and Hitech Grand Prix confirmed he would join their Formula 2 outfit for 2026.

How is Herta remembered?

Herta is best known as the youngest winner in IndyCar history and as a runner-up in the 2024 championship. His record covers karting, European junior formulae, Indy Lights, IndyCar and sportscars, and it shows a driver who has moved between very different challenges.

His Formula One goal has so far depended on the points system and the Super Licence rules. The 2026 Formula 2 season will be the decisive test of whether that route works, and his work with Cadillac keeps him close to the sport's top level.