Louis Foster shares mixed feelings after anticlimactic IndyCar debut at St. Petersburg

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Louis Foster had an undesirable IndyCar debut at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The 21-year-old's race ended even before getting halfway through lap 1 as his No. 45 Honda got collected in a Turn 3 crash. This left him with mixed feelings about the weekend.

Foster was one of three rookies at IndyCar's first race of 2025 alongside Dale Coyne Racing's Jacob Abel and PREMA Racing's Robert Shwartzman. The 2024 Indy NXT champion emerged as the fastest rookie in qualifying on Saturday, securing P16 on the grid, while Shwartzman and Abel secured P18 and P25.

However, in the opening lap of the St. Petersburg race, 2-time champ Will Power crashed into Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel before bringing their cars to a stop on the exit of Turn 3. While other drivers were lucky enough to maneuver around them, Louis Foster couldn't, thus prematurely ending his debut without getting a chance to fight for points.

In an official statement via his website, Foster summed up his first IndyCar race weekend, saying:

"Overall, I think we can be happy with our performance this weekend. We didn’t get to show what we can do in the race. But we can’t affect things outside of our control. Coming into any racing series, you want to win, but we also have to be realistic, and qualifying as the top rookie first time out is something to be pleased about."

The British racer secured an IndyCar drive for 2025 on the heels of a dominant 2024 Indy NXT Championship run with Andretti Global. He won eight out of 14 races, and finished four more on the podium en route to the series title.

Louis Foster thanks Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for giving him a memorable debut weekend at St. Petersburg

Louis Foster's No. 45 RLL Honda at the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Day 1 - Source: Getty

Louis Foster thanked his No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team for doing their best over the St. Petersburg race weekend to give him a memorable debut. He kicked off the weekend by showing strong pace in practice 1 on Friday, finishing 12th-fastest out of 27 drivers.

Though practice 2 on Saturday morning wasn't as flattering with a P21 finish, the rookie performed decently in qualifying. The weekend concluded with a DNF, but Foster only had good to say about his team and their efforts.

"The team worked really hard to get to where we are and it’s going to get better the more weekends we work together. I want to thank the team, my supporters, sponsors, and everybody who has helped me to reach my first IndyCar race. We’re not content yet, but I think we can be pleased with our first performance," he said via his website.

Before the 2025 IndyCar season began, Louis Foster had emphasized that he had no expectations for his rookie year. His only goal was to absorb everything like a sponge. After the St. Petersburg weekend, he stands 25th in the championship standings with five points.