Foster steps up with Andretti
Recently crowned Indy Pro 2000 champion Louis Foster will race for Andretti Autosport’s Indy Lights team next season.
Last year’s Euroformula Open runner-up was a finalist in the 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award, and moved to the Road to Indy ladder for this year. Joining Exclusive Autosport, Foster scored his first win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, then added six more victories to triumph convincingly ahead of Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Reece Gold.
Now, the 19-year-old from Odiham will graduate to the last step before Indycar, driving for Michael Andretti’s team that has taken five drivers to the Lights title, most recently Kyle Kirkwood in 2021.
“As a driver, you always want to be in the best teams and that’s certainly the case here,” said Foster. “The Andretti family’s commitment to bringing on and helping young talent means this was the first choice for me in 2023. I really hope I can make Michael and my new team proud by getting up to speed as quickly as we were able to in Indy Pro 2000 this season.”
Michael Andretti said: “We are excited to have Louis join our team for 2023. I think he will adjust quickly, and I look forward to seeing him take the next step in his American racing career.”
Foster will be charged with the task of recapturing the Lights title for Andretti Autosport, as the team’s quartet – Sting Ray Robb, Matt Brabham, Hunter Mcelrea and Christian Rasmussen – were defeated this year by HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing’s Linus Lundqvist. The Swede took five wins and was so consistent he needed only to start the first race at Laguna Seca last weekend to capture enough points to prevail. This was just as well, as Andretti Autosport swept the Lights double-header, finishing 1-2-3 in both races, led by Robb and Rasmussen respectively.
Lundqvist, with a $1.25million scholarship and a guarantee of at least three Indycar starts in 2023, will be hot property but, as of yet, he has not been confirmed anywhere. Given his Hmd/coyne ties, he may run for the team in the Sebring evaluation test.