Colton Herta was the biggest mover of the recent IndyCar race from the Indianapolis road course, climbing from the 24th starting position up to seventh.
His task was actually tougher than the scoresheet indicated, however, as he was hip-checked by his team-mate Marcus Ericsson on the first lap of the race.
The contact sent Herta sailing into the gravel, and he was barely able to get his Andretti Global Honda turned on a service road that sat just before a tire barrier.
Ericsson was given a penalty for the collision and was forced to drop to the back of the field, joining Herta with a view of the entire rest of the field ahead on the track.
Speaking with NBC after the race, Herta made it clear that he was still not happy with his Swedish team-mate, even though he was able to recover into the top 10.
“Your team-mate’s leading the championship, and you race him like an ass,” said Herta. “I don’t know what you’re thinking.
“He probably braked deeper than in qualifying right there, and runs me clean off the track. You gotta be smarter than that. So dumb.
“I’ll let him know what I feel, yeah.”
Herta has been unhappy with a few of his competitors recently, making one of the more blunt statements about his feelings towards Team Penske’s explanations for its illegal software.
He still took solace in how many positions he was able to gain throughout the course of the 85-lap race on Saturday.
“There’s definitely room for improvement,” continued the 24-year-old, talking about his own crew’s performance. “But really, really solid pit stops, really solid strategy.
“The team definitely made my job easier today, picking up positions. A lot of it through fuel [strategy], having really good pit stops, then undercutting a lot of guys. That’s how we made the majority of our positions up.
“I think there was a scenario there where we get a podium.”
On account of his impressive climb through the field, Herta continues his streak of earning top 10 finishes in every race so far this season.
He is now fourth in the points, but only 25 points away from series leader Alex Palou.
