Andretti Global driver Colton Herta finished on the podium at the 2025 Detroit GP. The Cadillac F1 prospect started the race in the pole position, but dropped a couple of spots to finish the race in P3. As Kyle Kirkwood won the race, Herta came out and detailed the moment that gave his teammate the edge.

Herta started in pole position, whereas his teammate Kirkwood started the race in P3. However, just a few laps after the first pitstop, Kirkwood was ahead of Herta in the timing sheets.

Herta appeared in front of the media for the post-race press conference, where a reporter suggested that he lost the position to Kirkwood during the first pitstop, and asked whether a faster pitstop, where Colton came out ahead of his teammate, would’ve guaranteed the victory to him.

Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Source: GettyChevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Source: Getty
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Source: Getty

Colton Herta corrected the reporter and suggested that it was indeed he who came out ahead of Kirkwood after the first pitstop. The 25-year-old then detailed how it was Arrow McLaren star Nolan Siegel’s move that let Kirkwood pass him.

“I came out ahead of him. Nolan dive-bombed me pretty much in Turn 4 and hip-checked me into the wall basically, which kind of slowed me down a lot, and that’s what allowed Kirkwood around me. But we did come out of the pits ahead of him, which is great,” said Colton Herta via ASAP Sports.

“The guys did a great job. The strategy was great. Our boys were solid, even on the yellow flag pit stop. We were so close to beating Will out. I was happy with how everything went,” he added.

Colton Herta, along with the other Top 9 drivers, started the race on alternate tires and pitted soon after lap 10. However, Nolan Siegel started the race on the hard primary tires and attacked Herta as the Andretti Global driver came out of the pits on cold tires. The fighting inevitably cost the 25-year-old time, as he lost a position to Kirkwood.

Colton Herta detailed what makes the Detroit GP tricky

Colton Herta also suggested during the post-race interviews that the track was difficult for a driver to get the hang of. A reporter asked Herta what he meant by it, to which he replied:

“I think it’s just brutal with the bumps. It’s just a difficult track to get right, to not hit anything on its own, and then when you add 26 other cars out there, it makes it even more difficult.”

The 2025 Detroit GP saw seven drivers retire from the race, including the championship leader, Alex Palou. The bumpy nature of the heavy braking zones caused drivers to lock up and end up against the barrier.

Arrow McLaren star Pato O’Ward slammed Detroit GP after the 2025 IndyCar race despite finishing in the Top 10. The Mexican revealed how he hated the circuit.