2025 IndyCar drivers and teams

Updated: Friday, 1^st November.

Which drivers are staying at the same IndyCar team for 2025?

Let’s go through this in alphabetical order:

A.J. Foyt racing will retain Santino Ferrucci for 2025 after a successful 2024 saw the controversial young American finish ninth overall.

Andretti Global will retain Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson. Herta re-found some of the form he appeared to have lost in the wilderness of 2023 to finish as season runner-up, and while Kirkwood failed to follow up with more victories after his two in 2023, he improved overall to finish seventh. Ericsson had a difficult first year with Andretti, but the former Indy 500 winner is deemed worthy of another season.

Chip Ganassi Racing retains Alex Palou after its long legal battle to keep him – a fight which is still rumbling on as McLaren seeks to claim damages from Palou for the failed move. It will also keep hold of six-time champion Scott Dixon as expected, and has elected to keep hold of Kyffin Simpson after he made his IndyCar debut with the team in 2024. For 2025 Ganassi will cut down from five cars to three.

McLaren keeps two of the drivers that raced for it in 2024. Pato O’Ward stays for another season in Papaya, a no brainer given just how far clear of his team-mates he was this year (94 points). Nolan Siegel was brought in mid-season and, while he has struggled a little, was always seen as a long-term project for the team.

At Meyer Shank, Felix Rosenqvist was considered such a success this year that he’s just been handed a new multi-year contract. 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing will retain Graham Rahal, an outcome that seemed strangely remote just a few months ago given that he’s the son of team-owner Bobby Rahal. Graham had a pretty awful 2024, even hinting that his time at RLL might be over from time-to-time, but ended up electing to stay. Joining Rahal at RLL will be reigning Indy NXT champion Louis Foster. The young Brit dominated Indy NXT in 2024 and will be hoping to make an impact on the big league in his rookie season.

Finally, Team Penske retains the same driving line-up that has served it well for the last few seasons. A catastrophic weekend at Milwaukee saw Josef Newgarden drop from title contender to a lowly eighth-place finish by season end, but he took his second Indy 500 win in a row with a stunning late victory in May.

Will Power roared back from an off 2023 to being the only realistic title challenger to Palou by the end of ‘24, his title challenge stifled by the odd mix of his own team-mate and some seatbelts. Scott McLaughlin took three wins on his way to his best season in IndyCar – third for the second year in a row, but with 505 points despite being disqualified from the first round thanks to the Penske push-to-pass scandal.

Which IndyCar drivers have moved to new teams for 2025?

David Malukas, the man around whom so much controversy and conversation swirled through 2024, much of it not really his own fault, will switch to A.J. Foyt Racing for 2025, replacing Sting Ray Robb.

Christian Lundgaard jumps from his home of the last three seasons, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, to make the step to McLaren, replacing the outgoing Alexander Rossi in 2025, who himself has made the move to Ed Carpenter Racing alongside Christian Rasmussen.

Callum Ilott raced for McLaren on and off in 2024, filling in for the injured David Malukas for the early rounds when his WEC commitments with Jota allowed. In 2025 he will be the first person to race for Prema in IndyCar as the junior formula legend makes its debut.

Marcus Armstrong has made the jump from Ganassi to Meyr Shank following the champion team’s decision to reduce from five cars to just three while Alex Rossi joins Ed Carpenter Racing.

Which IndyCar drivers do not have a drive for 2025 yet?

After the announcement of Kyffin Simpson and Scott Dixon’s new contracts for 2025, Linus Lundqvist remains without a drive for the new season.   

Conor Daly had a bit of a fairytale ending to 2024, after he stepped in to replace Agustín Canapino at Juncos Hollinger and finally clinched his second-ever IndyCar podium, eight years after his first. Rinus Veekay, Romain Grosjean and Pietro Fittipaldi are among the established IndyCar names currently without a 2025 contract, while rookies Théo Pourchaire, Christian Rasmussen and Tom Blomqvist are also without drives for 2025. 

Which teams still have spaces to fill?

Dale Coyne has both of its seats up for grabs, Prema one, Rahal Letterman Lanigan one, and Juncos Hollinger two. 

Are any other drivers in contention for an IndyCar seat in 2025?

Juri Vips raced once in IndyCar in 2024, and is in contention for a more permanent return in 2025. That showcases the pull that IndyCar has for drivers currently in the European junior ladder, requiring less personal sponsorship for entry and perhaps having a bit more space for younger drivers to make a name for themselves. So, expect to see plenty of names from Formula 2 and even Formula 3 being linked with drives, especially with Prema in IndyCar given how many junior drivers it will still be running into the new season. 

Valtteri Bottas has been linked in recent weeks with a move, as inevitably has Kevin Magnussen – who has experience racing in the US after a season with Ganassi in IMSA. F3 driver Sophia Floersch was seen in the IndyCar paddock at the final race in Nashville. 

Any more changes to IndyCar in 2025?

The only real change is that the new 2.4-litre hybrid engines will be used in every race. The engine was introduced mid-season in 2024, to some mixed reviews, and will become standard in 2025. The chassis will remain the same Dallara DW12 that’s been in use since 2012, with the universal aero kit that was introduced in 2018.

Where can I watch IndyCar in 2025?

Unsure in the UK right now, but you would hope that Sky will extend its rights to show the series again taking the local broadcast.

In the US, there’s a complete change for 2025. IndyCar has been shown on NBC, or an NBC-owned channel since 2009. But that deal ended at the end of the 2024 season and IndyCar signed a new multi-year deal with Fox Sports to begin at the start of the new season. 

Simpson confirmed at Ganassi, Foster to RLL

Kyffin Simpson will remain at Chip Ganassi Racing in the #8 car for the 2025 season. The team has taken the decision for the new year to drop from five to three cars, meaning that Marcus Armstrong (who already confirmed a move to Meyr Shank) and now Linus Lundqvist will both leave the team. Lundqvist currently remains without a 2025 drive.

Over at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, dominant Indy NXT champion Louis Foster has been confirmed for a full season entry as a rookie. 

2025 IndyCar drivers and teams

Rossi, Rasmussen and Carpenter complete ECR line-up for 2025

Alexander Rossi will join Ed Carpenter Racing for 2025 after leaving McLaren, as Christian Rasmussen steps up to a full-season in the #21 car and team-owner Ed Carpenter returns for another tilt at the Indy 500.

Rossi leaves McLaren after two unproductive years that yielded just two podiums and a highest championship finish of ninth. He’ll be hoping to rekindle a career that seemed much more promising in the early days of his time at Andretti. Rasmussen impressed in his rookie season with ECR, finishing on the rookie list only behind the two youngsters blessed with Ganassi drives. That has earned him a full-time ride in the #21 for the new season, while owner Ed Carpenter again returns for his yearly oval outings, this time restricted to just the Indy 500. Rossi will drive the #20 car for the new season, as both he and Rasmussen sign multi year deals.

Veekay to leave ECR

Rinus Veekay will leave Ed Carpenter Racing after five years with the team, he confirmed yesterday (23^rd September). Veekay’s contract had been due to expire at the end of the 2024 season and the Dutch one-time winner chose to leave after 80 races with the team.

Veekay’s entire IndyCar career has been spent with ECR so far, amassing one race win and four podiums. But the last two seasons have been less productive for the partnership, bringing only nine top 10 finishes and a best of fifth in Iowa this season.The 24-year-old has yet to announce what his plans for 2025 will be.

Armstrong joins Meyer Shank for 2025

Chip Ganassi Racing refugee Marcus Armstrong will join Meyer Shank Racing for the 2025 IndyCar series. The 24-year-old from New Zealand raced for Ganassi for the last two seasons, following his IndyCar debut in 2023. He initially raced only on road courses in ’23 before stepping up to a full-season seat in 2024. While he improved in 2024, finishing the season 14^th and capturing his first IndyCar podium finish, the team’s decision to trim from five cars down to three for the new season left him without a confirmed drive for the 2024.

Now, he has joined Meyer Shank to partner current driver Felix Rosenqvist in the team’s second car, which has been vacated after David Malukas signed for AJ Foyt for 2024. Speaking of the switch, Armstrong said: “I’m very proud to be joining Meyer Shank Racing in 2025. I had a great feeling when I met both Mike Shank and Jim Meyer, their passion for performance and meticulous work ethic was obvious from our first conversation and I want to thank them both for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone at MSR over the offseason, with the goal of hitting the ground running at the first race of the season in St. Pete.”

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.