IndyCar: Colton Herta not fazed by Fernando Alonso in Indianapolis 500

Full-time IndyCar driver Colton Herta is not fazed by the fact that he is set to compete alongside Fernando Alonso in this year’s Indianapolis 500.

After making his IndyCar debut in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 two years ago driving the #29 Honda that was fielded by a partnership between McLaren and Andretti Autosport, two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso is set to return to the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” this year.

Alonso qualified in fifth place for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana two years ago, and he led 27 laps before his engine failed with only 21 laps remaining.

Now the 37-year-old Spaniard is set to drive the #66 McLaren Chevrolet in the 103rd running of the race next month.

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McLaren formed a technical alliance with Carlin for this year’s running of the race, although their car is set to be far more of a McLaren-based entry than their car was two years ago when they partnered with Andretti Autosport, which were by far the top team in that race.

But IndyCar rookie Colton Herta, the 19-year-old Valencia, California native who drives the #88 Honda on a full-time basis for Harding Steinbrenner Racing and currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings through the first four races of his rookie IndyCar season, is not fazed by the fact that he is set to compete against one of the greatest drivers in the world in the biggest race in the world in four weeks.

Here is what Herta had to say when asked if he thought it was “pretty cool” to sit next to Alonso, according to IndyStar.

"“I don’t see it that way, no. Maybe if I was at a Grand Prix weekend, maybe a bit more. But not on these weekends, because he’s kind of coming into my playground now…in America. If I was over in Rockingham (Motor Speedway), yes, it would be pretty cool, but it’s different here.”"

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How will Colton Herta and Fernando Alonso fare in the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May? Qualifications for the race, which is the sixth of 17 races on the 2019 IndyCar schedule, are set to be broadcast live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19, and the race itself is set to be broadcast live from the track beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 26.