Louis Foster showed strong pace and came away with third place in the Indy NXT season opener.
The 20-year-old #26 Andretti Global driver qualified in fourth place, which was a huge loss because he had been around five-tenths up on the time that actually took pole when a red flag came out and meant Foster had to back off.
In the race, Foster had to fight past rookie Myles Rowe in the early running - “my idea going into the race was to try to get past him in a sneaky place as soon as possible, which we managed to do”, explained Foster - and he set about chasing down Jacob Abel in second.
With two caution periods neutralising the gap between cars, Foster was able to close up and fight for second, but he felt he had learned lessons from last year where he had risked too much to gain positions and that holding back was best for his championship.
“It's a qualifying track, we don't have pit stops or anything, we can't do any undercuts or overcuts,” said Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions.
“I was behind Jacob [Abel] most of the race. Jacob had good pace. He was pretty practical on the push-to-pass. I was trying to save mine hoping for a few more safety cars."
“There was a switch that happened last year halfway through the season in my mind where I went from winning a championship to just winning races. There were moves I made during the year that I wouldn't have made if I was going for the championship."
“Focusing on the points, I think today was a good example of that. “There was twice where I could have gone for a move on Jacob. It could have worked or it could have taken us both out, so I decided not to.
“To start the year with a podium, strong, we know we've got the pace, we're not too concerned.”
Given how important track position and qualifying is at St Petersburg - the pole position driver won the race - qualifying was the big loss of the weekend, but Foster turned the adversity into the kind of sensible points finish he can build on in this year’s championship. To have a chance at redemption, Foster will have to wait until April 28 when the Indy NXT Series returns to action at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.
“It’s a big gap now, so it’s a good chance for us to look at the road course car and make sure we’re prepared to hit the ground running at Barber,” Foster added.
“Sometimes things happen outside of your control, like here at St Petersburg. So now we have to leave no stone unturned both with the car and with my personal preparation to make sure we’re maximising the things inside our control when we get back on track.”
Notes to editors
Louis Foster
Louis Foster is a 20-year-old British racing driver from Hampshire aiming to take the racing world by storm. He’s a member of the BRDC SuperStars and races for the Andretti Autosport team in Indy NXT by Firestone.
Son of British Touring Car and GT racer Nick Foster, Louis has been around motorsport for the majority of his life.
Foster had a successful karting career before making his debut in Ginetta Juniors where he won nine races and scored 19 podiums in his first season.
A step up to the British F4 championship delivered six wins and 13 podiums in his first season of single-seater racing, while his debut BRDC British F3 campaign kept up a 100% winning record in his car racing career with three victories and six podiums.
In 2021 Foster stepped up to racing in Europe and added three wins in Euroformula Open, took a further 10 podiums and two pole positions in a series which raced in front of Formula 1 on occasion this year.
His performances led to a nomination for the prestigious Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, an honour which was repeated a year later.The following year he made his debut in America and won half of the races on the way to the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship. He won on all three types of tracks, including on street courses and ovals which he hadn’t raced on before.
He took wins and poles in his first Indy NXT by Firestone championship season, and he returns to that series in 2024.
Outside of motorsport Louis is a keen rugby and hockey player as well as enjoying off-road mountain biking and training in the gym.
Foster is sponsored by auction giant Copart, which sells more than 300,000 cars per years in the UK and more than 3 million cars per year worldwide. He is also backed by Chambers Recycling Solutions, Novara Technologies, One Sports Management Group and Poggesi.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact barry@onesmgroup.com
Indy NXT by Firestone
Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights before a major rebrand for 2023) is the top level of junior racing in the United States.
It is organised and promoted by Penske Entertainment - which also owns NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - and is the premier route for drivers hoping to reach INDYCAR.
It races on road courses, street circuits and ovals, just like the stars of INDYCAR.
The series races with cars made by Dallara, with the distinctive Halo device used to help protect the drivers. The cars feature turbocharged, 2-litre engines producing 450bhp, and are tricky to control which gives drivers a good learning curve ahead of reaching IndyCar.
Winning the series awards a prize fund worth a reported $1.4 million, and includes tests at Texas and Indianapolis, an Indy 500 start and an entry into one additional IndyCar race.
Past champions of the series include Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward.
Indy NXT by Firestone calendar
March 10 St Petersburg
April 28 Barber
May 10-11 Indianapolis road course (double header)
June 2 Detroit
June 9 Road America
June 22-23 Laguna Seca (double header)
July 7 Mid-Ohio
July 13 Iowa
August 17 Gateway
August 25 Portland
August 31 Milwaukee
September 15 Nashville Speedway