Colton Herta is incredibly competitive in IndyCar and won in just his third race in the championship, so here’s everything you need to know about the American.
He won at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas before ending his first full year in 2019 with a victory at Laguna Seca during the season’s final round.
Herta made his debut at the end of the 2018 season at Sonoma before driving full-time for Harding Steinbrenner Racing the following year.
The American switched to Andretti Autosport for 2020 in IndyCar and won at Mid-Ohio during his opening campaign for the team ahead of Alexander Rossi.
Colton Herta became the third teenager to win an IndyCar race
Herta won his first IndyCar race during the second round of the 2019 season at COTA. He was just 18 years, 11 months and 25 days old, eclipsing Graham Rahal’s previous record of 19 years, three months and two days which was set in 2008.
His second win of the season at Laguna Seca would rank fourth on the list. It showcased his mature head on young shoulders, not getting overawed by the occasion.
Will Power led from pole position as Rahal and Zach Veach made contact on the opening lap. Herta kept cool at the front of the field, sitting in third behind the Power and Rossi.
The eventual race winner got past Rossi at the first round of pit stops, taking advantage of the Andretti driver locking up his new Firestone tyres in Turn 1.
Just a few laps later, Rossi passed his fellow American on the back straight, heading into Turn 12, making use of the push-to-pass system.
Herta pitted with less than 15 laps remaining, just before Felix Rosenqvist clattered into the wall at the final turn after a tussle with James Hinchcliffe.
Pole-sitter Power pitted under the caution, and his No. 12 Team Penske car failed to restart, rendering the Australian a spectator.
Herta took a popular victory, sharing the podium with Josef Newgarden and Ryan Hunter-Reay on a chaotic day in Austin.
The season produced mixed results after Herta’s superb win in Austin; it took seven races to reach the top 10 once more after a lacklustre month of May, scoring an eighth-place finish at Road America.
The American ended the season with his second victory in IndyCar, taking the chequered flag at Laguna Seca, repeating his dad Bryan Herta’s feat from 20 years earlier in 1999.
Colton Herta battled Lando Norris on the road to F1 in 2015
British motorsport has long been renowned for producing top talent capable of racing in Formula 1 alongside the best drivers.
American Logan Sargeant and Australian Oscar Piastri both raced in British F4 in 2017, with both of them losing the title to Jamie Caroline.
Lando Norris enjoyed a meteoric rise up the junior ranks to Formula 1, going from the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2014 to a McLaren F1 race seat a few years later in 2019.
The British driver dominated in MSA Formula in 2015, the series now known as British F4, while his Carlin teammate Herta finished third in the standings.
The pair scored 12 wins between them, leading Carlin to the Teams Cup, finishing comfortably in front of their nearest challengers Arden.
Herta scored his first podium of the season at Oulton Park, finishing in third place in the first race of the weekend, sharing the podium with Norris and Ricky Collard.
His breakthrough moment came at Snetterton in Norfolk with a brilliant double victory, his first of four wins that year.
After 2015, Norris continued his rise to F1, moving up to the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2016, clinching the title.
Herta transitioned into the Euroformula Open Championship for the following season, finishing in third place before moving back to America and racing in Indy Lights.
Colton Herta is a two-time Rolex 24 winner at Daytona
As well as his single-seater successes, Herta has also turned his hand to endurance racing and even won the Rolex 24 at Daytona on debut in 2019. BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing fielded Herta in their GTLM class BMW M8 GTE that year.
Herta has since returned to the 24 Hours of Daytona regularly and picked up his debut LMP2 class victory with DragonSpeed USA in 2022.
The American further took his debut GTP class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring driving for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport in 2024.
So, with that in mind, Full Oversteer has looked at everything you need to know about Herta.
How old is Colton Herta? Where was he born?
Herta is 24 years old; he was born in California, United States, on the 30th of March 2000.
How tall is Colton Herta? What is his height in feet?
Herta stands at 5’10, which measures 177cm.
Colton Herta’s net worth
While there are no up-to-date valuations of Herta’s net worth, reports placed his wealth in the region of $1.5 million (£1.1m) in 2022.
Meet Colton Herta’s girlfriend, Riley Flynn
While Herta is not married, the IndyCar star has been dating his long-term girlfriend Riley Flynn since April 2018. Herta and Finn also both graduated from USC in 2022.
Finn can often be found in the IndyCar pits attending races to show her support for Herta.
Colton Herta plays the drums in a rock band
Herta enjoys playing the drums away from the circuit in a rock band called The Zibs. The American is the drummer for the band with his high school friends.
He said previously that drumming doesn’t affect his racing, and the hobby allows the Andretti driver to step away from motorsport, stopping it from dominating his life.
“They’re two separate things,” Herta said via indystar.com. “The racing side is definitely more important. When I’m racing, I’m racing. When I’m drumming, I use that as an outlet to forget about racing a little bit. When you’re doing it so much, it kind of takes over your life.”
Colton Herta’s IndyCar career stats
As of the end of the 2024 season, Herta is yet to win a championship in IndyCar but has amassed many race wins in the series.
IndyCar titles: 0
IndyCar race entries: 99
IndyCar wins: 9
Indy 500 wins: 0
IndyCar poles: 14
IndyCar podiums: 18