Leist weighing his IndyCar future

A.J. Foyt Racing driver Matheus Leist isn’t sure where his future lies in the NTT IndyCar Series.

With the upcoming departure of longtime sponsor ABC Supply, the two-car Chevy-powered team could look rather different in the cockpit next season as the young Brazilian has been reviewing his options to remain in series.

“I want to be here; I want to keep racing in IndyCar,” the 20-year-old told RACER. “I would like to stay with the Foyt team, but I don’t know what their plans are. So, I’ve been talking to some other teams, but there isn’t a lot of seats [available].”

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Leist, who came to the team with the 2016 British Formula 3 championship and three Indy Lights wins with Carlin Racing in hand, has struggled to make a steady impact since 2018 as the Foyt program has searched for ways to regain its competitive edge.

“We qualified third for my first race [at St. Petersburg], so we know the No. 4 ABC Supply car can be fast” he said. “It feels like our business is not finished here, and that we can do better results if we keep improving.”

Leist’s teammate Tony Kanaan, who finished third-place at last weekend’s race in Gateway, could return to race the No. 14 Chevy, and team owner A.J. Foyt told RACER he wants to continue with the second car, but has not decided on who will pilot the cars. At present, Kanaan holds 15th in the championship and his countryman is 19th.

With the uncertainty for Leist, pursuing a part-time program with another team could be the direction he chooses if the door closes at Foyt after the September 22 championship finale in Monterey.

“I need to race; that’s all that matters to me,” he reiterated. “The best for me is to do the full season, but whatever I find, I need to race and show people what I can do. I’m too young not to be racing.”