In the second part of an exclusive interview with Tymek Kucharczyk, Pit Debrief spoke to the Polish driver about his difficult weekend at Macau and the lessons he took from it into the Indy NXT season.
With four races completed in 2026 in Indy NXT, the 20-year-old rookie sits P3 in points behind Nikita Johnson and Max Taylor.
Three different continents in the space of a few weeks makes things hard
Having raced at permanent tracks throughout his single-seater career, Macau is the ultimate test for any aspiring young racer, as well as the prestige of winning it.
Kucharczyk had a very intense few weeks. After winning the Euroformula Open Championship at Monza, he flew to the United States to compete in the Indy NXT test at IMS. A couple of weeks later, he was over in Asia to compete at Macau.
He explained the difficulties associated with that.
“Yeah, I mean, it was very important [learning from Macau ahead of St. Pete].
“I think Macau was such a tricky weekend for me.
“Within like two weeks, I was on three different continents. I wasn’t in training; I wasn’t well rested. I was constantly jet lagged. So it was like also first time for me travelling so much. Like, yeah, this couple of weeks just been kind of insane. So I wasn’t perfectly in shape as well.”
A weekend of tough moments
Macau in 2025 was not kind to the current HMD Motorsports driver. Driving for Van Amersfoort Racing that weekend, he crashed in Q2, leaving him down in P18.
In the qualifying race, he was off down the escape road at Lisboa, leaving him way down the 27-car grid for the main event. Keeping out of trouble, he gained 11 spots on race day to finish P13.
“And then, you know, we started at the very back of the grid. We were last in the pit lane.
“And I actually didn’t know about that factor before coming to Macau, but now I know that it’s just really tricky when starting from the back because you cannot complete a single lap pretty much.
“Macau is such a tricky place. A lot of cars, big chances of someone making a mistake. And obviously, if you’re starting from the very back of the grid, something will happen in front of you.
“So until quali, I had maybe done like two full laps, actually. So it was a bit tricky. But I felt like I was actually quite good. I think top six, top eight was achievable.
“But then I crash in quali, big setback for the race. Qualifying race was really difficult too.
“And then the main race, I just did the maximum I could. I think I went up 11 positions, most out of the grid. So it was pretty fun.”
Macau proving to the ultimate challenge
For most young drivers, the first street race they compete in is at Macau. On the European ladder, only in F3 do they start to become a regular thing. That is normally the next step after running at Macau.
With the walls so close throughout the lap and barely any run-off areas, precision is key. It is truly the Monaco of street circuits outside of F1.
While it was a challenging few days, Kucharczyk really enjoyed tackling the legendary Asian circuit.
“But yeah, new track, first time for me also, street circuit. So that was a pretty big factor. You really have to get comfortable with driving around the walls.
“You can’t be afraid of them; you cannot be scared. And it’s easy to be scared, you know, with such high speeds. And the margin of error being so little. It is a big test.
“But I do believe Macau is one of the greatest tracks in the world. One of the most challenging ones. And it was such a pleasure to drive on the circuit. I had a lot of fun inside a car.”
Tymek Kucharczyk driving under the limit on Indy NXT debut at St. Pete
Following that tricky weekend at the Macau Grand Prix, the Polish star used those experiences ahead of his Indy NXT debut at the St. Pete street circuit.
Deliberately not pushing at 100% through the opening round of 2026 to get a solid result and bag valuable learning, the HMD Motorsports driver was expecting to be fighting for a result in the lower top 10.
However, after qualifying an excellent 5th, Kucharczyk made a brilliant start and took P3. From there, he held off Seb Murray to take podium on debut.
“And then, St. Pete, Arlington, more street circuits. So I obviously kind of knew what I didn’t want to do and what I wanted to do, what kind of a mindset I had to have for this race weekends.
“I think St. Pete, especially, I was pretty, pretty safe. I was very reasonable with the risk I took.
“And, you know, it was it was pretty cool because I felt like I was really driving in my comfort zone. I wasn’t really pushing to the limits.
“Again, not really much experience in the Indy NXT car. So the size of the car was kind of new.
“So I was pretty safe with the distance to the walls. I wasn’t like really pushing the limits.
“To be fair, at St. Pete, I felt like with driving kind of careful, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was like 8th, 9th, 10th, because I felt like that’s the amount of risk I take. Good enough for like 8th, 9th, 10th, and [in the end] I finish on the podium. So it was a good starting point.”
A step forward at Arlington
P2 and P4 in the two practice sessions, Kucharczyk looked a strong contender for the podium at a new track for everyone in Arlington.
In the race, once the madness of the start was over, the Polish driver was right behind teammate Enzo Fittipaldi for the lead. With just under ten minutes of it to go, Kucharczyk lunged down the inside into turn 12. Unfortunately for him, the Brazilian got the switchback out of the corner.
A lap later, eventual winner Max Taylor sent it from downtown to take P2 off him. It left the 20-year-old understandably frustrated as a great chance of victory was gone.
“Arlington, I felt really, really, really strong.I felt like I should have won that race. I was I was really quick.
“But yeah, quali was a bit tricky for me. Finished third, but felt very disappointed with third. And then finish the race in third and then felt really, really disappointed with third again.
“So yeah, big learning process, but I start to enjoy street street racing a lot more.”
Barber a different challenge for Tymek Kucharczyk in first Indy NXT season
While Barber Motorsports Park is a more traditional track for those who are from or were based in Europe before heading Stateside, it was still a new venue to tackle for Tymek Kucharczyk like all of them in 2026. Alongside that, there was only a single practice session as two races took place at the last round.
P8 in that practice session, the HMD Motorsports star was looking rapid in Group 1 qualifying. He was consistently fastest after the first three flying laps. Then, he caught traffic. From there he could not find clear space and had to settle for 6th and 8th on the grid for the two races.
He took a third straight podium in the first race as de Tullio and Taylor collided in the battle at the front for P1. Kucharczyk then continued a streak of top 5s with a P5 in the second contest that weekend. The Pole is the only driver to finish every race in the top 5 to date.
“Barber as well, a normal circuit, more like a standard, traditional circuit.
“And again, big challenge, new challenge. First time using full capacity of the car, pretty much full amount of downforce and power, really flowing circuit, a circuit that also a lot of drivers have a lot of experience on with junior series like USF.
“And Barber is quite popular here in America. So a lot of drivers just just have mileage on it.
“And for me, it was first time also not like usually we only have one practice session at Barber. So only 40 minutes for me to get to know the track. And then quali straight away.
Full qualifying pace not getting shown
“Again, I felt really, really strong. I felt like I was really quick. I felt like there was chances to actually do a good result.
“But a bit unlucky in quali, I got some traffic and I didn’t manage the last three laps when everyone was improving. And I think up until that point, I was P1.
“So it’s a shame again, because I feel like I should have poled that thing. But it happens. It’s racing.
“I got a bit lucky in the race later that afternoon. It’s just all about balance.”
A good start but Tymek Kucharczyk is wanting more
P3 in points, 33 adrift of championship leader Nikita Johnson, it has been a great start to life in the United States for the young Polish driver considering his lack of experience in the series and at these tracks. Nonetheless, Tymek Kucharczyk has the mentality of a winner.
With a doubleheader coming up at IMS, he will be hoping to add his name to the list of winners in 2026. Having tested on the road course last October, the learning curve will not be as significant for races 5 and 6 on the 8th and 9th of May.
“So I think it’s been a positive start in my racing in America, very consistent. And yeah, never really putting a foot wrong. So it’s been good. It’s been good. I’ve been enjoying.
“To be fair, every race I’m hungry to do more, to finally win some races, and to really prove what I’m capable of.”
Tymek Kucharczyk on media and enjoying his racing life in the United States
Even before the season got underway, there was a huge amount of interest in Kucharczyk. He spent over 30 minutes answering questions — including from Pit Debrief — during Indy NXT content day 1, comfortably longer than any other driver.
Once he finished P3 at St. Pete, FOX were quick to give him the nickname ‘Timmy Kachow’, as well as plenty of praise for his speed. It has become a popular name inside the HMD Motorsports stable as well.
“I mean, it’s pretty cool [the media appreciation].
“I think it just shows that I adapted to this American style pretty quickly; I love like the way people are so chill here and the way the lifestyle is going.
“Yeah, my new American nickname, Timmy Kachow, the fact that I get on well with people from media, from my team, with drivers, just shows that I’m really enjoying my time here. I’m feeling very comfortable where I am.
“You know, the fact that I got some media [attention], well, let’s say authority and respect, it’s obviously a good part as well, because at the end of the day, we fight for sponsors.”
The fight to stay in single-seater racing
The 20-year-old is also showing his personality on social media. Coming from a normal, everyday family, getting to this stage has been very incredibly tough because of budget struggles.
While results on track are always important, having a fairly unique personality to stand out from the crowd is also important off it for drivers like Tymek Kucharczyk.
Like Juan Manuel Correa, he had a lot of praise for the standard of the series.
“I wouldn’t say Indy NXT is a junior series because it’s really professional. It’s really big. It’s a big learning step for IndyCar as well.
“But we still need sponsors. We still need some backing. And the fact that I’m able to be in some way unique on social media, in media, it’s obviously a good point for bringing more budget and trying to find new sponsors, because as we all know, sponsors don’t only look at the results, but the numbers as well.
“I’m happy that I’m able to combine both this year, especially with three 3rd place finishes in a row. I’m the only driver to finish top 5 in every single race this year so far.
“So yeah, it’s good. It’s good. And I’m enjoying my time.
“I think I’ve learned a lot in Europe that I need to be more complete as a driver than most of my teammates or colleagues because I cannot afford racing, so I have to do something more than that.”
Incredible support from his home country of Poland
When it comes to sport, Poland has a massively passionate and dedicated fanbase. Robert Kubica’s F1 debut and subsequent success saw tens of thousands of Polish fans attend races across the years he was in the sport.
The one-time F1 race winner and 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans victor fully opened the eyes of his country to Motorsport.
Like Kubica, Tymek Kucharczyk has gained a huge following in his native country. Ever since he made the move to single-seaters, his popularity has been clear to see across his own social channels and the ones of the series he has completed in. This outweighs the level of support Roman Bilinski and Maciej Gładysz who are in F2 and F3 respectively.
Grateful for the unwavering energy and support from Poland
The 2025 Euroformula Open Champion is extremely thankful for the support. It remains big even after heading Stateside to Indy NXT.
“It obviously is a great thing. I’m very grateful for it because I can feel the support from my fans.
“I actually don’t know why my following is so big. Because I don’t know, just being myself, I guess that works.
“It’s obviously a cool experience. I think all the fans, all the positive comments.
“I was actually watching some form of a YouTube video a couple of days ago. And yeah, people were just saying that I’m their favourite out of all young Polish racing drivers. And it’s just something really, really cool for young athletes to appreciate the fact that other people actually support you and notice you and treat you as like one of the brightest stars in motorsport.
“Also, another really cool thing is that, you know, even though I kind of changed my trajectory again in motorsport, I went to America instead of trying to reach the standard F1 by Europe road. You know, I didn’t go to F2 or F3, I went to Indy NXT.
“And even though the following is still so big, a lot of people thought that it is a very positive move.”
Indy NXT provides a great chance
Although driving in Indy NXT is not free and simple, the budget required is significantly less than for Formula 2. It opens doors for those based in Europe and/or from it to go Stateside and impress IndyCar teams if they do not have the financial clout of others. Tymek Kucharczyk is one of those drivers.
Dennis Hauger moved up to the main game for 2026 with DCR after winning the Indy NXT title with Andretti last year.
Kucharczyk is thankful for the opportunity he is getting in the United States and to show his talent. Nonetheless, he is not completely ruling out his dream of trying to reach F1 at this point.
“Because at the end of the day, it’s all about developing as a driver, reaching new standards, reaching new goals.
“And I feel like in Europe, especially if you don’t have strong backing, if you don’t have a rich family or big sponsors, it’s really, really tough to reach something in Europe. And I think America is just a great opportunity to me to become a professional race car driver and to not stop dreaming about F1 in the future.”
Such is the level of interest in the Tymek Kucharczyk’s career, the Indy NXT races are shown on Motowizja and https://tymekkucharczyk.pl/ in his country.
“So I think it is really cool that, even though I’m racing in America, that the following is still so big. I have Polish TV that streams my races in Poland. So it is really cool to see.”
