Is Colton Herta America's champion-in-waiting?

Colton Herta is a pleasure to interview, primarily because he can’t help telling the truth. OK, so he’s not going to lay his soul bare, won’t reveal everything he’s thinking, but if he provides an answer, he means it.

For instance, last month during the IndyCar media days, he inevitably had to field questions about Formula 1, having been part of Michael Andretti’s ultimately foiled plan to take control of the Alfa Romeo Sauber team.

“I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to do Formula 1,” Herta declared. “I want to do a lot of stuff in my career, but it needs certain timing. Formula 1 is one of those things.

“If you're 28, you're not going to Formula 1, unfortunately. That's just how it works. The time is right for me if I got the opportunity. I'd have to have a good think about it, but I most likely would do it because I want to run in Formula 1 at some point.”

He added, “I'm 21 years old and I can come back in five years and still run 15 years in IndyCar and be 40.

“Yeah, I definitely want to give it a crack if I get the opportunity. But definitely not disappointed at all in IndyCar. I like this series more than any series in the world, and I enjoy racing in it a lot. But yeah, there's just a lot of stuff that I'd like to try in my racing career outside of IndyCar, also.”

That covered it nicely and we understood exactly how he was thinking. So when I broached the subject again this week, and asked if he was bored with questions about F1, a simple, chuckling “Yes!” was all that was required, and we moved on.

As for the ‘trying other stuff’ part of his response, he’s been true to his word, and many of us, fans and media alike, appreciate such career diversity. A few days after the IndyCar media session, Herta, along with