Andretti Autosport believes the potential of driver Colton Herta is enough to justify its tie-up with Harding Steinbrenner Racing in 2019, after Herta impressed in IndyCar testing last month.
Herta, son of Champ Car and IndyCar race winner Bryan, topped three of four sessions in IndyCar’s ‘Spring Training’ test at Austin, as HSR used Honda engines for the first time in its new tie up with the Andretti squad.
“In terms of justifying the technical relationship and the additional inputs that can bring to the group, it was certainly an interesting start!” Andretti Autosport COO Rob Edwards told Autosport.
“All the cars started the COTA test with a very similar set-up.
“It was about what Colton was doing with the car he had, and the direction the cars developed in over the course of that test.
“I think he really is that good.”
The strong times led some to question whether the car was running lighter, or not fully to the regulations, during the test, but Edwards confirmed that the day two pace at least was genuine.
“I think maybe on the first day they were struggling to know where they needed to be – I don’t know because I haven’t seen the numbers,” added Edwards.
“But on the second day Colton was just as quick, and I know hand-on-heart they were exactly where they needed to be weight-wise.
“It doesn’t benefit anyone to run massively underweight so I think if they were it was only by a bit, as much because they were scrambling to get ready because they hadn’t done the previous week’s test at Laguna Seca.”
Under the Harding Racing banner the team started with Gabby Chaves in 2017, competing in three IndyCar races before joining the series full-time last year.
Following 13 races with Chaves and three with Conor Daly, for the season finale Harding expanded to two cars driven by Patricio O’Ward and Herta, who had just finished one-two respectively in the Indy Lights championship for Andretti Autosport.
Michael Andretti shared set-ups and staff with HSR for the Sonoma race, and O’Ward qualified fifth and finished ninth, while Herta finished 20th after an off in pre-event testing.
O’Ward had signed with the HSR team for 2019 but when he found out the team only had a Honda engine supply for its second car for three events, he terminated the deal completely.