Photo: Travis Hinkle
Andretti Global’s Indy Nxt signing Dennis Hauger says he had several offers to stay in Formula 2 this year he could have pursued.
Hauger has spent the last three seasons in F2, driving for Prema in his rookie campaign then MP Motorsport in the next two. He won two races and came 10th in the 2022 standings, improved to eighth with another two wins in 2023 then dropped to 11th in the points table last year as he missed the final two rounds. That campaign featured a win and his first two poles.
At the end of 2023, Hauger left the Red Bull Junior Team and his chances of stepping up to Formula 1 looked slim. With a move to Indy Nxt, his new target is to make it to IndyCar.
“I had good offers going into another season in F2 if I wanted to. There was opportunities there for me. With a pretty good deal,” Hauger explained.
“But for me it didn’t really make sense to do another year. If I won that year, it wouldn’t have been as impressive. So for me going into something new, something refreshing [mattered]. Also for my mind and my motivation, just to get into a different path, is for me the right choice. And Indy Nxt felt like a really good option. It’s a good championship, and it really gives you the opportunity to go further.”
As a fan of many forms of motorsport, Hauger had followed IndyCar from a young age and should he become 2025 Indy Nxt champion he will receive a scholarship to fund a step up to the series.
“My aim is to win the championship, and I know there’s a high level, there’s still a lot of new tracks, ovals is going to be a new thing. So there’s a lot of factors for me, and I think the genuine pace we’ve had in testing and the work we’ve done with the team, with my engineer has been great.
“I’m feeling comfortable with the car and getting up to speed every time we go out, so definitely not here to finish second, I’m here to do the job and work hard with the team to achieve what we want.”
In recent years, drivers coming across from F2 have usually gone direct to IndyCar. But for Hauger, “I know we don’t have the opportunity to bring in budgets like that” and since the switch from the European to the American racing scene is “not easy”, he thinks “doing what I’m doing now, trying to get a name, trying to prove myself, and show the results over here” is a better way of ensuring he is a competitive option for IndyCar teams to sign.
His first impressions of Indy Nxt have also convinced him he has made the right move: “Driving this car is just a lot of fun. It’s a bit more pure [than F2], in my opinion. You’re really pushing around.”