"Didn't really make sense": Ex-Red Bull driver explains Indy NXT switch with Andretti Global

Andretti Global's Indy NXT driver Dennis Hauger made the move to racing in the American open-wheel racing series for the 2025 season after his stint in the Formula Ladder championships. The 21-year-old detailed the reasons why he made the switch to Indy NXT with Andretti Global.

Hauger is a former member of the Red Bull Junior Team and suggested that he had offers from a few Formula 2 teams for the 2025 season. But he decided to make the move to the US and race in the IndyCar ladder series, the Indy NXT. He explained his reason for the same and said (via Pit Debrief):

“I had good offers going into another season in F2 if I wanted to. There were opportunities there for me, with a pretty good deal. But for me, it didn’t really make sense to do another year, if I won that year it wouldn’t have been as impressive. Indy NXT felt like a really good option. It’s a good championship and it really gives you the opportunity to go further. That was the main thought behind it.”

“But overall, it was a smart choice. We don’t have the opportunity to bring in budgets like that, for example, going into IndyCar, which some other drivers from Europe have been able to do,” he added.

Formula 2 Championship - Round 12 Baku - Sprint Race - Source: Getty

Dennis Hauger was announced as Andretti Global’s Indy NXT driver for the 2025 season in October 2024. The Norwegian won the 2021 Formula 3 championship and was promoted to F2 for 2022. He raced with PREMA for the 2022 season and moved to MP Motorsport for the next two seasons in the junior Formula series.

Hauger was a part of the Red Bull driver family for six years and served as the reserve driver for the F1 team for a couple of years (2022 & 2023).

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Andretti Global President hailed Dennis Hauger after his signing

Dennis Hauger will be driving the No. 28 Andretti Global Dallara in the 2025 Indy NXT championship and will be teaming up with Lochie Hughes, Salvador de Alba, and James Roe. Hauger is only 21 years old and still in his development years with a long racing career ahead of him. Andretti Global President J-F Thormann spoke about the Norwegian’s signing as he said:

“Dennis is a driver who has been on our radar for some time, and we’re excited to see him make the jump into American open-wheel racing. He’s no stranger to performing in highly competitive development series, so I can’t think of a better next step for him than to join the INDY NXT grid. We think he’s going to be the perfect addition to round out our 2025 INDY NXT driver lineup, and we’re proud to be a part of his INDY NXT debut.”

Dennis Hauger made his debut in the Indy NXT car at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October. The 2025 Indy NXT season begins on March 2nd at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.