The NTT IndyCar Championship returns on March 1st with three new rookies joining the grid for the 2025 season.
After a 167 day drought, IndyCar returns on March 1st, opening its season in around the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
The upcoming season has brought much anticipation with significant changes across the grid and an even tighter pack heading into the season.
Despite the championship being the primary focus, another trophy is up for grabs at the end of the season. The Rookie of the year award, three drivers competing for the trophy. So let’s introduce the 2025 rookies.
Louis Foster
The 21-year-old Briton took his dream of becoming an IndyCar driver and made it a reality. Louis Foster began competing on home soil in Britain, racing in the likes of British F4, BRDC British F3 and Ginetta Junior. Foster made a stepping stone in his career, accumulating a number of achievements.
He went on to compete in the Euroformula Open Championship in 2021 finishing second overall. After competing in the UK for five years, Foster wanted to turn a new page in his career, with his mind set on making it in America.
He joined Indy Pro 2000 in 2022, immediately making an impression, amassing 7 wins and 12 podiums overall before taking the championship.
Foster’s performance caught the eyes of Andretti Autosport, who gave the Briton a chance at Indy NXT in one of its two cars for 2023. During his first second, he won two races, finishing six times on the podium and wrapped up his debut season in fourth.
The following year Foster built on his success and dominated in the feeder series. He won eight races, stood on a podium in all but two races and won the championship by 122 points.
After his dominating campaign, he got the call-up from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and was confirmed for a multi-year contract, becoming a full-time entrant for 2025. With the former occupant of the seat, Christian Lundgaard making the switch over to Arrow McLaren.
If the strong performances from Foster’s career are anything to go by, the Briton will make an exciting watch for 2025 and one to watch out for.
Jacob Abel
Jacob Abel competed in his third full-time season in Indy NXT racing with family team Abel Motorsports.
Abel ran a solid campaign in 2024, securing three race wins and standing on the podium ten times, becoming the closest rival to Foster.
Beginning his career like many other drivers, the 23-year-old joined the climb up the feeder series ladder, competing in United States F4 in 2017 before racing in Formula Regionals America for the following three years. During his tenure in the series, Abel’s best result came in 2018 and 2019 when he finished fourth overall in the standings.
After his final campaign in 2021, he made the next step up into IndyCar’s feeder series. Abel grabbed four podiums in 2022 before securing his first win in 2023. Dale Coyne Racing kept a watchful eye on the Louisvillian, providing Abel with an opportunity to test an IndyCar around Sebring in November that year. A couple of months later he ran with Chip Ganassi Racing around the Texas Speedway oval, adding to his experience.
Abel was confirmed as a full-time entrant with Dale Coyne Racing occupying the #51. Rinus VeeKay will partner alongside Abel, providing an opportunity to help the rookie grow throughout the season.
Robert Shwartzman
Unlike his two rivals, Robert Shwartzman hadn’t travelled over the Atlantic for racing. Continuing the trend of another ex-F2 driver to IndyCar pipeline, the Israeli native joins PREMA for 2025, partnering alongside Callum Ilott.
Shwartzman started out in karting, winning many championships including KF3 and KFJ classes before transitioning into single-seaters in 2018. He finished third in both F4 and Formula Regional before getting called up into F3 with Prema for the following season.
After two wins and standing on the podium 11 times in total, Shwartzman joined the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Continuing with PREMA into F2, he raced in the feeder series for two years, with his best finish being in fourth. Since 2021, Shwartzman has worked behind the scenes with Ferrari, testing both the Scuderia and Haas cars. In 2024, he got extra testing sessions with Kick Sauber in Zandvoort and Mexico.
PREMA announced their entry into IndyCar back in April 2024, with the two drivers remaining unknown until the end of the year. Despite having a singular one test with an IndyCar back in 2023 with Chip Ganassi Racing, Shwartzman’s experience will be sure to pay off with a strong teammate to learn from. Alongside Ilott, Romain Grosjean will be serving as both a mentor and reserve driver for the team.
Featured image credit: James Black
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