Caio Collet will join AJ Foyt Racing for IndyCar’s 2026 season, becoming the series first Brazilian-born full-time racer since Helio Castroneves in 2022. The São Paulo native makes the jump to IndyCar following a successful Indy NXT season, that saw him take 3 wins – including a full sweep at Laguna Seca.
Collet will join AJ Foyt Racing alongside established teammate, Santino Ferrucci.
Collet in Indy NXT
He spent 2 seasons in the IndyCar feeder series, Indy NXT, with HMD Motorsports. In his 2025 season alone, the Brazilian racked up 3 wins – including a full sweep at the series double header at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, showing himself to be a late season contender for the title.
He earned Rookie of the Year in his first season in Indy NXT, landing himself a third place series finish with one win, six podiums, and one pole position.
A racing start in Europe
Collet started his racing career in the European feeder series before jumping across the pond to give North American single-seaters a try.
His career started with the French Formula 4 championship, becoming the series champion before moving on to the Formula Renault Eurocup (2019-2020), Toyota Racing Series (2020) and FIA Formula 3 (2021-2023).
Collet proved himself to be a capable drivers across multiple different series, ultimately catching the eye of Nissan’s Formula E team. He quickly signed on with the team as a reserve and simulator driver in 2024.
Getting a taste of the real thing
Early October 2025 saw Collet take his first tests behind the wheel of an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car with AJ Foyt, as teams tested at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars have between 200-500 more horsepower than those of IndyNXT cars. However, post test Collet said he was far more impressed with the brakes versus the speed or power.
“You can really push the (brake) pedal. The way they warm up, different than the NXT car.”
Collet stayed busy with is first chance behind the wheel of the AJ Foyt Racing machine, churning out 95 laps and ended the test in second, just behind the vastly more experienced Team Penske IMSA sports car driver Felipe Nasr.
Now, Caio Collet begins the next step in his single-seater career with AJ Foyt Racing. With one more seat filled for the 2026 grid, keep your eyes peeled for how everything else shakes out before the season begins.
Caio Collet
“I’m very happy to join AJ Foyt Racing in the NTT INDYCAR Series and thankful to Larry for trusting my skills and giving me this fantastic opportunity.
“It is a dream come true after years of hard work in developing series since my early go-karting experiences. I’m thankful to all teams and sponsors that helped me through my career, especially Marcelo Camargo from Combitrans Amazonia, that joined our INDY NXT campaign this season and will be with us next year.
“INDYCAR is huge in Brazil and I’m looking forward to bringing its flag back to a full-time seat in the 2026 season.”
Larry Foyt
“Caio is a welcome addition to AJ Foyt Racing. He has shown great potential in INDY NXT by Firestone and in the junior formulas in Europe.
“I was impressed with how he adapted to our car at the recent Mid-Ohio test and I’m very excited to see what he can do in INDYCAR. There’s no doubt that he will be a strong contender in the battle for Rookie of the Year.”
