By: Spencer Neff 
February 24, 2026

A trio of rising stars will make their NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Each looks to add their name to a Rookie of the Year winners list that includes the likes of Alexander Rossi, Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong.

Here’s a profile of each driver:

Dennis Hauger

Hailing from Aurskog, Norway, Dennis Hauger’s racing career began with several karting victories and championships. The Norwegian driver would set records as the youngest champion in multiple German karting disciplines.

In 2018, he began running single-seaters and earned fourth place in the British Formula 4 Championship. A year later, he won the Italian Formula 4 Championship with van Amersfoort Racing and followed that up with another victory in the series to go along with six ADAC Formula 4 victories.

2021 would see Hauger run Formula 3 with PREMA Racing, scoring four victories en route to a Drivers Championship. While still aligned with the Red Bull Junior Team, he scored two victories apiece in Formula 2 with PREMA and MP Motorsports. Hauger additionally served as the reserve driver for the Oracle Red Bull Racing team.

Following a 2024 season that saw him victorious in Formula 2 and the Porsche Carrera Cup, Hauger moved to North America. In 2025, he joined Andretti Global for the INDY NXT by Firestone.

After a dominant championship-winning season that included six victories and eight poles, the “Norwegian Nightmare” signed with Dale Coyne Racing for 2026.

“This is a great opportunity for us here at DCR to bring on a talented driver and gain a strong technical partner in Andretti Global, Thanks to (Andretti Global CEO) Dan (Towriss) and his belief in our sport and his dedication to elevating Dennis to the top of the ladder,” Car Owner Dale Coyne said in the September 25 announcement of Hauger joining DCR.

Hauger’s signing also brought a technical alliance between DCR and the Andretti Global outfit Hauger previously drove for.

“I’m excited to be joining Dale Coyne Racing for my rookie INDYCAR season,” Hauger exclaimed win the announcement.

“The progress the team has shown this year is really impressive, and it’s an honor to take my place on the grid with them in 2026. I want to thank Dale Coyne and everyone at the team for putting their trust in me. It’ll also be nice to see some familiar faces through the team’s technical partnership with Andretti Global. They’ve been a big part of my success since making the switch, so having their involvement in another rookie season for me will be great. I’m looking forward to contributing and starting this next chapter together.”

Hauger will pilot the No. 19 alongside teammate Romain Grosjean.

Caio Collet

The Sao Paolo, Brazil native’s racing career began with multiple Brazilian youth karting championships. In 2017-2018, he would move to Formula 4’s UAE (United Arab Emirates) Championship, earning a race victory in the series.

Collet also earned victories in Formula Renault EuroCup and Toyota Racing Series before moving to Formula 3 in 2021. In three seasons with MP Motorsport and Van Amersfoort Racing, he earned three victories. After serving as reserve driver for Nissan’s Formula E team.

In 2024, Collet joined HMD Motorsport as part of their INDY NXT outfit. Across two seasons, he earned four victories and four poles, finishing third and second in the points standings.

Following multiple tests, Collet was signed to A.J. Foyt Racing for 2026.

“Caio is a welcome addition to AJ Foyt Racing,” team president Larry Foyt said in the November 6 announcement of Collet’s signing.

“He has shown great potential in INDY NXT by Firestone and in the junior formulas in Europe. I was impressed with how he adapted to our car at the recent Mid-Ohio test, and I’m very excited to see what he can do in INDYCAR. There’s no doubt that he will be a strong contender in the battle for Rookie of the Year.”

” I’m very happy to join AJ Foyt Racing in the NTT INDYCAR Series and thankful to Larry for trusting my skills and giving me this fantastic opportunity,” added Collet.

“It is a dream come true after years of hard work in developing series since my early go-karting experiences.”

Collet is driving the No. 4 with A.J. Foyt Racing and joins Santino Ferrucci as teammates.

Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher’s lineage is well-documented around the world of sport between his father Michael and uncle Ralf.

Following seven years of karting, the second-generation racer moved to German Formula 4 ADAC in 2015. The Swiss-born German driver won in his rookie season before moving to PREMA Racing, winning 10 races- five apiece in the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 Championships in 2016.

Schumacher would spend the next two seasons in Formula 3 with PREMA Powerhouse Racing and PREMA Theodore Racing. In 2018, he won eight races en route to the championship.

In 2019, he moved up to Formula 2 with PREMA winning three races and the 2020 Championship.

For 2021, he began the first of two seasons with the Haas F1 Team. At the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher earned a career-best finish of sixth.

He would spend the next two seasons as reserve driver for Mercedes’ Formula 1 effort.

During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Schumacher also joined Alpine’s team for the WEC (World Endurance Championship) season. He earned third-place finishes thrice across two seasons.

Schumacher would leave WEC and Alpine at the 2025 season’s end. That departure made way for his journey to INDYCAR.

“I am delighted to confirm today that I will be competing in the INDYCAR SERIES next year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, taking part in the full season,” Schumacher exclaimed in the November 24 announcement.

Schumacher piqued the interest of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing following an October test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

“I think I speak for everyone at RLL when I say how thrilled we are to welcome Mick to the team and to INDYCAR,” Team Co-Owner Bobby Rahal said in the announcement.

“His test with us on the IMS road course was exceptional – he impressed every single team member. Everyone walked away from that event determined to do what we could to bring Mick into our program. We’re thrilled he’s chosen to join us, and we can’t wait to get to work.”

Schumacher will race the No. 47 entry alongside Graham Rahal and 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year Louis Foster at RLLR.

Header Image By Chris Jones/INDYCAR