Driver Spotlight: Is there a future in Indycar for Felipe Nasr?

Ex-Formula 1 driver, Felipe Nasr, recently took part in an Indycar test at Mid Ohio for Team Penske. The Brazilian went quickest in the No.2 Penske car, with a time of 1m05.715s. The test also included Indy NXT champion, Dennis Hauger, and runner up, Caio Collet, along with Kakunoshin Ohta and Niels Koolen.

It was Nasr’s third IndyCar test in as many years with Team Penske, for whom he currently competes in the IMSA GTP class with Porsche Penske Motorsport. He previously tested for the team at Thermal Club in 2024 and at Sebring in 2023. These three recents tests pose the question: should Nasr look to make a move into the NTT Indycar series? This is exaggerated by the recent announcement that Porsche Penske Motorsport would be leaving the Hypercar category within the World Endurance Championship and the wider uncertainty surrounding the Porsche brand, and how this will affect Nasr’s future.

The Brazilian was due to make his Indycar debut in 2020 for Carlin at the Firestone Grand Prix of St.Petersburg. However, the race was postponed due to the COVID pandemic and Nasr was never able to make his first Indycar start.

Nasr’s Formula One stint

Nasr made 40 F1 starts across the 2015/2016 seasons for Sauber F1 team, finishing 13th and 17th respectively. He managed to pick up only two points in his second season, and was replaced by Pascal Wehrlein for the following season. He was expected to swap with the German and move to Manor, but the team exited F1 due to financial struggles. This resulted in the Brazilian not racing in 2017.

On his way to F1, Nasr won the Formula BMW Europe and British Formula 3 International series championships. His other highlights include a podium finish at the Macau GP and finishing third in his third and final year in GP2 in 2014. He also served as reserve driver for Williams F1 team that year.

Post F1 sports car career

After Formula 1, Nasr reinvented himself in endurance racing. In 2018 he moved to the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, racing with the Whelen Engineering team alongside Eric Curran in the DPI class. The pair went on to win the championship, taking a single win in Detroit. He also made appearances in the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, both in the LMP2 class.

He went on to spend the next three seasons with Whelen Engineering, finishing 2nd, 8th, and winning the championship again in 2021 alongside Pipo Derani. They claimed four wins that season in their Cadillac DPI. Nasr also made three appearances in Formula E across the 2018-19 season, failing to score points on all three occasions.

In December 2021, Nasr was announced as part of the new Porsche LMDh programme as it was set to be introduced in 2023 with the Porsche Penske team. The 2022 season ended up being a development year for Nasr and the team as Penske entered the LMP2 class in WEC. However, the team would only contest the first three rounds, exiting the championship after Le Mans, where they finished fifth in class. This decision was taken to focus on the preparation of their debut Porsche 963 campaign. Nasr also made three appearances in the IMSA GTD Pro class with Pfaff Motorsport and their Porsche GT3.

Nasr went on to finish fifth in his first season within IMSA’s GTP class alongside Matt Campbell in the No.7 Porsche Penske 963. The Brazilian would have a new teammate for 2024 in Dane Cameron. The pair would go on to lead a Porsche 1-2 in the standings winning the overall championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup, taking two wins at Daytona and Watkins Glen. Nasr also made appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, failing to finish in either event for Porsche Penske. He recently finished third in the 2025 IMSA season alongside Nick Tandy, despite taking three consecutive wins at the start of the season. Nasr was however able to go back to back, winning the Endurance Cup for a second year in a row, finishing two points ahead of sister No.6 Porsche Penske car, with Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell winning the overall title.

Is Indycar a suitable move for Nasr?

It’s clearly been a very successful life for the Brazilian post F1. Over his single seater and sports car career, Nasr has driven a wide range of cars, making him an attractive and adaptable driver for any championship. Having the ability to bring his wide range of experience and expertise would allow him to adapt to the challenges of Indycar. Any team on the grid would gain from hiring the Brazilian.

There are currently a few remaining seats on the grid for the upcoming Indycar season. Should Nasr look to force his way in? Who could he drive for?

The clearest link to an Indycar seat for him is obviously Team Penske, with his recent test and driving for them in IMSA. The team know him well, and without a doubt will see his clear talent behind the wheel of the 963 and an Indycar. However, Penske have confirmed Josef Newgarden, David Malakus and Scott McLaughlin for the 2026 season. A few seats remain at other teams, including AJ Foyt, who have a technical partnership with Penske. A move to Foyt could be an excellent choice for the Brazilian, a chance to prove himself in a lower team and get to grips with the championship before a potential move up to Penske. Foyt did recently test fellow Brazilian, Caio Collet, making a move harder for Nasr. In fact, most of the remaining seats within the series are heavily linked to other drivers. Subsequently, a move to Indycar for 2026 seems to be unlikely for the former F1 driver, however, a move for 2027 could be possible.

Switching back to single seaters could be the right move for Nasr. At the age of 33, he has managed to compete in single seaters, including a brief stint in F1, then went on to become a sports car ace. It may now be time to start the next chapter of his career. There is still room for more accomplishments within endurance racing for Nasr, however, should he still have ambition to compete at the top level of single seaters, a move to Indycar would be a great move for the Brazilian. He showed in his recent test that he would compete favourably in the series, meaning most teams on the grid would jump at signing Nasr if he wanted a move to Indycar.

Will it actually happen?

Nasr is currently under contract with Porsche, which may make any move to Indycar harder. However, with the recent uncertainty surrounding Porsche and their announcement to leave the top class of WEC, it may open an opportunity for Nasr to leave. Porsche will have to select its drivers for the upcoming IMSA season, with some drivers likely to miss out. With Nasr being one of their stronger drivers, Porsche may look to retain his services. On the other hand, Nasr may look elsewhere due to the uncertainty at Porsche. Whether this could mean a different manufacturer within IMSA or WEC, in which most would be keen in signing the Brazilian, or potentially freeing Nasr to explore a move to Indycar, will depend on his ambitions. It all comes down to his contractual obligations at Porsche.

Furthermore, if Nasr is able to leave Porsche or even combine his sports car duties with an Indycar campaign, he would likely have to bring some level of funding to secure a seat on the Indycar grid. Most teams would likely be eager to sign Nasr if he appeared on the driver market, however, as said above, this is unlikely to happen for 2026. Nasr could look to find a seat in 2027, with the Indycar driver market being a rolling phenomenon meaning an opportunity could open up at any team.

There is a lot of unknowns currently on the state of Nasr’s future, and also a lot of potential barriers to be overcome if he wanted to pursue a way onto the Indycar grid in the near future. However, if it’s something the Brazilian wants to chase this may be the best time as the state of motorsport is changing at Porsche, combined with the clear talent he could bring to the grid making him an attractive prospect for any team. It’s a certainty that if Nasr did make the move, he would likely become a success in Indycar, and it would be a move massively welcomed by many.

Whether Nasr remains with Porsche or shifts his focus to Indycar, his pace at Mid Ohio proved that his single seater talent hasn’t faded, which may open the door to a potential move to America’s premier open wheel series.

written by Michael Williams / Media Credit: Penske Entertainment