Herta and Kirkwood Leads in Toronto with Victory for Andretti Global

The driver Colton Herta from Andretti Global ended a two-year win drought with a strong performance at the Toronto Grand Prix, surpassing his teammate Kyle Kirkwood in a race marked by multiple accidents and a red flag. Herta’s victory, his first since the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May 2022, also marked the first 1-2 finish for Andretti Global since its rebranding.

Herta started the race from pole position and led most of the laps on the Toronto street circuit. He maintained the lead for 81 of the 85 laps, demonstrating outstanding speed throughout the weekend. Kirkwood, who also had a solid performance, stayed in second place, while Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing achieved third place from 15th on the starting grid.

The race was interrupted by several notable accidents. A multi-car crash on lap 73 involved several drivers, including Pato O’Ward, who was caught in an incident that resulted in Santino Ferrucci being launched and ending up overturned. The race was stopped for 20 minutes to clear the area and attend to those involved, although fortunately no one was injured.

The chaos continued when an incident involving Team Penske drivers Will Power and Scott McLaughlin caused further problems for the team. Power received a penalty for his role in the incident that affected McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden, who faced additional issues resulting in a drop in the standings.

In the final laps of the race, Herta maintained his lead despite the pressure from Kirkwood and the difficulties he faced during pit stops. The race resumed after the red flag, with Herta keeping his lead until the end.

The racing series will take a three-week break due to the Paris Olympics. The thirteenth race of the 17-race season will be the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at the World Wide Technology Raceway on August 17.