Herta Clinches Pole for Detroit Grand Prix Amid Andretti Dominance
Detroit, MI — Colton Herta of Andretti Global secured pole position for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix with a blistering lap of 1:00.477, marking his 15th career pole and the first since Toronto in 2024. The impressive performance comes just seven weeks after Andretti Global swept the front row at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
After a challenging practice session, Herta expressed surprise at the turnaround. “We were not really strong, to be completely honest… But the guys did a great job overnight. The Gainbridge Honda was super fast today,” he stated, adding, “Happy to start P1 tomorrow. Best seat in the house.”
Qualifying Highlights
Herta’s strategic decision to save a set of fresh soft tires paid off, allowing him to outpace competitors in the final round of qualifying. He was joined in the Fast 6 by teammates Kyle Kirkwood and A.J. Foyt Racing’s David Malukas. Kirkwood, despite a strong showing, faced disappointment after a car issue prevented him from challenging for pole, leaving him third.
Malukas achieved his career-best qualifying result, starting second. “We’re starting off where we finished… a really good session,” he affirmed post-qualifying.
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard took fourth, while Graham Rahal rounded out the top five, with Alex Palou, the earlier season leader, completing the Fast 6.
Additional Notes
Rinus VeeKay narrowly missed out on the Fast 6, finishing seventh, while Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, and Scott Dixon completed the top ten. Both Rahal and Dixon face six-position grid penalties for unapproved engine changes, impacting their starting positions.
In group qualifying, Power set the pace with a lap in the 1:00 range, whereas sturdy competitors like Felix Rosenqvist, who criticized teammate Marcus Armstrong for obstructing his qualifying run, could not advance past the initial sessions.
Upcoming Broadcast
Fans can catch the Detroit Grand Prix live at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, following the morning warm-up at 9:30 a.m. ET on FS1.
