Written by Archie O’Reilly
Louis Foster, the 2024 Indy NXT champion, has signed a multi-year deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) to graduate to IndyCar in 2025.
The 21-year-old British driver, who was also champion in Indy Pro 2000 in 2022, won eight races in 2024 en-route to clinching the NXT title by 122 points ahead of Jacob Abel.
There is not yet any clarity on which entry he will drive.
“I am really looking forward to working with the team,” said Foster. “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have Indy 500 victories, obviously Bobby has won an Indy 500 and there is a great wealth of knowledge with the team. I want to thank Bobby, David and Mike for their faith in my abilities.
“And I want to thank all my sponsors who have helped me achieve my dream of driving in IndyCar, in particular Copart. I can’t wait to start my IndyCar career with the team and hopefully we can have a long and successful career together.
“I’m hoping that coming off the experience gained from winning the Indy NXT championship, that will leave me in a good stance to get the ball rolling. This is where the hard work starts. We will start the preparations and make sure we hit the ground running in St. Pete.”
Foster initially rose through the British racing ranks, competing in the Ginetta Junior series before moving through British Formula 4 and British Formula 3. He ran the 2021 season in Euroformula Open before moving to the United States in 2022.
With a move to FIA F3 not viable financially, the IndyCar ladder provided a lifeline for Foster.
He tasted immediate success stateside, taking 12 podiums and winning seven times en-route to taking the Pro 2000 title. He would step up to Indy NXT with Andretti Global the following year, winning twice and taking six podiums before finishing fourth in the standings.
He attempted to make the step up to IndyCar for 2024 given the pace shown as an NXT rookie, but with options limited and Andretti keen to keep him onboard for a second year, he returned for a sophomore season and valuably ironed out the inconsistencies from his rookie season.
“It’s less to do with how fast you are and more how developed you are as a driver,” Foster told DIVEBOMB in August. “So if I had to have the opportunity to go to IndyCar [for 2024], I probably would have taken it because it’s very hard to say no to that.
“But do I think I’m a better driver now? One hundred percent.”
After some misfortune in the opening three rounds - finishing third, fifth and seventh - Foster finished no lower than second in the closing 11 races of the 2024 season. He led every lap in six of his eight wins, converting all bar one of his seven poles into wins.
Foster clinched the title with one race remaining and, in no uncertain terms, believes it would have been “the end of my single-seater career” had he not won the championship and gained the scholarship-related rewards.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to come to an agreement with Louis to have him drive for the team for the next several years,” said team co-owner Bobby Rahal. “He obviously dominated Indy NXT in 2024 and we feel he has a big future ahead of him and are happy to support the ladder system IndyCar has created.
“We look at this as a long-term relationship that will go beyond the existing terms and are very excited to get started on preparations for the 2025 season and his series debut.”
Foster completed his first IndyCar test with Andretti at Road America in September 2023. RLL is currently finalising a test programme for its newly-signed rookie.
“We are very excited to have Louis Foster drive for us over the next few years,” said co-owner Mike Lanigan. “I look forward to watching him grow into a future IndyCar star. He reminds me of another driver - the late, great Justin Wilson.”
Foster’s full focus has been on landing a shot in IndyCar, with little thought given to other options. That quest is now reality for the English driver from Odiham, Hampshire.
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