Andretti team impressed after Foster’s first IndyCar test

Andretti Global COO Rob Edwards had nothing but positive things to say about 2022 USF Pro 2000 champion and standout Indy NXT rookie Louis Foster, who completed his first NTT IndyCar Series test with the team on Tuesday at Road America.

The two-time NXT race winner who placed fourth in the standings on debut with Andretti got up to speed in one Andretti’s Honda-powered IndyCar entries while sharing the circuit during IndyCar’s ongoing hybrid engine testing took place at the 4.0-mile road course with Chevy and Honda.

“Louis went through all the typical items on his first set of tires, and by the second set, he was hunkering down with the program,” Edwards told RACER. “He did 74 laps total during the day and he just did a very good job.

“When you watch a young driver at these first tests, you’re looking to see if the lap times are all over the place, or do they improve each time and work down in a good steady progression. And Louis worked in a good steady progression. He was good with his feedback, he was honest about the challenges he had during the day, and when he goes back next time, he’ll have a lot to build upon. But altogether, Louis did a very good job for us.”

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The 20-year-old from England has impressed on a consistent basis since he arrived in the U.S. in 2022. Although it’s unclear whether Foster will seek a return to Indy NXT or try to find a seat in IndyCar, Edwards believes his countryman has the talent to reach the top of the open-wheel ladder on merit.

“One of the challenges for IndyCar at the moment is establishing a benchmark, other than a checkbook, for who should be in the series or not,” he said. “Racing in Formula 1, generally, there’s a talent requirement, as well as the funding. And I think that’s unfortunate, because some of the young drivers with talent aren’t necessarily getting their due, based purely on their talent.”

Foster was all smiles after his first IndyCar experience.

“It was great. It’s a lifelong dream to have a go and thank you to Andretti for giving me the opportunity,” he said. “I thought it went well. It was difficult to figure out where we were at pace-wise since I was the only car that wasn’t a hybrid. But I know I was driving on the limit around there and I was happy with the car and happy with the balance, happy with my driving, and just looking forward to what the future holds.”

Count Edwards as someone who would like to hold onto Foster for another year of NXT.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Louis’ got the potential to do very well in IndyCar,” he said. “We were invested in that path with him this year, and he’ll be well served by having another season in Indy NXT before he graduates. There are a lot of good things this year that he did and I think those drivers who did two years in NXT benefited from the second year.

“Colton Herta put two years in [Indy NXT] to use to prepare himself for IndyCar, and Christian Rasmussen, the new champion of NXT, is a perfect example where he used his second year to learn more and demonstrate just how good he is, for which he was rewarded. I think for the future, Louis has the potential to be a very good IndyCar driver, but I also think another year of Indy NXT will probably help just refine some of the skills that will benefit him more when he gets there.”

Foster doesn’t disagree, but he’s not ready to say where he’ll be found in 2024.

“There’s no harm in doing a second year, but we’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “I’m still up in the air about what’s gonna happen.”

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