Foster set for IndyCar debut in Florida

Louis Foster will make his full NTT IndyCar Series debut this weekend at the season opener street race in St Petersburg, Florida.

Foster, 21, won the Indy NXT by Firestone feeder series championship last year and was signed by the prestigious Rahal Letterman Lanigan team for a full season of IndyCar action in 2025.

Louis joined the team last October and has been diligently working through a preparation programme to be ready for the new season.

“It’s really special to be starting my NTT INDYCAR Series career with Rahal Letterman Lanigan,” says Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions.

“Bobby Rahal is a legend of the sport, everyone knows the famous TV personality David Letterman, and Mike Lanigan has worked with some incredible drivers and has helped so many of them reach the elite level.

“That’s just the owners! It’s been brilliant to get to know all of the people in the headquarters at Zionsville. For me it’s been about working on the unknowns, the length of the races, the new hybrid units, pit stops and fuel saving, things like that.

“There’s only so much you can do away from the car to be ready, but we’ve left no stone unturned and I’m happy to get things going this weekend.”

Foster was part of an initial test last week where he was ninth fastest on the morning of the first day before plenty of used-tyre running and traffic provided some challenges. But these are all things he will face in his new championship.

“The test went well, and gave me a good baseline going in to St Pete," said Foster, from Odiham in Hampshire, England.

“Of course, you always want more testing, but we got a lot done in those two days that will help this season.

“In terms of goals for this season, it’s to finish every lap and avoid the rookie errors that are common with new drivers. If we can limit those and make sure we’re finishing, I’m learning a lot every weekend that way and that should expedite the process.

“It’s great to have team-mates like Graham Rahal and Devlin DeFrancesco, I know they are excited for the season too and have been working hard.

“This is a team game, so I want to work together with my team-mates and the rest of the team to make sure we’re improving every time we hit the track.”

St Petersburg is a tight and twisty street circuit which holds special memories for Foster. It’s where he made his first appearance in American racing with a double podium in the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship, a title which he went on to win at his first attempt.

You can watch Louis's IndyCar debut this weekend live in the UK on Sky Sports F1, with qualifying at 7.30pm on Saturday, and the race coverage starts at 5.00pm on Sunday.

St Petersburg street circuit schedule - Eastern time zone

Friday February 28

Practice 1 - 1500-1630 (2000-2130 UK)

Saturday March 1

Practice 2 - 1000-1130 (1500-1630 UK)

Qualifications - 1430-1600 (1930-2100 UK)

Sunday March 2

Warm-up - 0900-0930 (1400-1430 UK)

Race - 1230 (1730 UK)