Caio Collet

Caio Collet Bio

Caio Jotta Collet, known professionally as Caio Collet, is a Brazilian racing driver born on 3 April 2002 in São Paulo, Brazil. He competes in single-seater racing and is set to drive in the IndyCar Series for A. J. Foyt Racing beginning in 2026, after spending two seasons in the Indy NXT feeder series. Racing under car number 76, Collet has built a reputation as a consistent front-runner in junior open-wheel categories across Europe and the United States.

Over the course of his career, Collet has collected race wins in French Formula 4, the Formula Renault Eurocup, FIA Formula 3, and Indy NXT. He is a former member of the Alpine Academy, the junior driver program run by the Formula One team Alpine, and previously served as a reserve and simulator driver for the Nissan Formula E Team.

Early Life and Background

Caio Jotta Collet was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, where he developed an early fascination with motorsport. He began racing in karts at the age of seven and quickly built a strong résumé, claiming multiple karting titles in his home country before deciding to pursue a professional career in Europe.

Collet has Italian and French ancestry, and he has named three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna as his racing hero. His family supported his move to international competition, and in 2016 his karting results earned him a seat with the Birel ART team, a respected Italian chassis manufacturer. He later signed with Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management program, a driver development scheme run by the son of former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt.

Path to NASCAR

Caio Collet’s professional career has been built exclusively in open-wheel racing, and he does not have a documented history in NASCAR. After winning the French F4 Championship in 2018, he progressed through the European junior single-seater ladder, including the Formula Renault Eurocup, FIA Formula 3, and Indy NXT, before securing a promotion to the IndyCar Series. As a result, this section reflects the path that led him into the top tier of American open-wheel racing rather than stock car competition.

Caio Collet Career

Early Career (2018–2019)

Collet made his single-seater debut at the start of 2018 with Silberpfeil Energy Dubai in the 2017–18 Formula 4 UAE Championship, where he took a win at the Yas Marina Circuit and finished sixth overall. That same year, he entered the French F4 Championship with the number 23, becoming the only Brazilian on the grid. He captured seven race wins, including the prestigious Pau Grand Prix, and sealed the championship with a round to spare at Jerez.

His dominant French F4 title earned him a drive in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup with R-ace GP, where he raced alongside future Formula One driver Oscar Piastri. Collet finished on the podium five times that season, including a runner-up result at Spa-Francorchamps, and ended the year fifth in the championship standings with 207 points.

Formula Renault Eurocup Breakthrough (2020)

Collet remained with R-ace GP for the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup season and immediately emerged as a title contender. He opened the year with three consecutive podium finishes and claimed his first Eurocup victory at the Imola Circuit. He traded the championship lead with French driver Victor Martins throughout the season in a closely fought battle.

After a late-season push that included additional wins at the Nürburgring, Imola, and Hockenheim, Collet finished the year as runner-up in the championship. The final gap to champion Martins was 44 points, marking Collet as one of the leading European single-seater prospects of his generation.

FIA Formula 3 Tenure (2021–2023)

Collet joined MP Motorsport for the 2021 FIA Formula 3 season, partnering Victor Martins and Tijmen van der Helm. He scored two podiums, including a third-place finish in the Barcelona feature race, and finished the year ninth in the standings with 93 points while being named the second-highest rookie.

In 2022, he remained with MP Motorsport and broke through for his first FIA Formula 3 victory in a wet sprint race at the Hungaroring, winning by eight seconds. He added a second win at Zandvoort later in the year, finishing the season eighth overall with two wins and five podiums. He moved to Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2023 campaign and added a third career F3 win at Spa-Francorchamps, ending the year ninth in points.

HMD Motorsports Era (2024–2025)

In October 2023, Collet took part in the Indy NXT Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis with HMD Motorsports and was soon confirmed as part of the team’s lineup for 2024. He scored his maiden Indy NXT podium with a third-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and earned his first series win at Mid-Ohio after taking pole position. He closed out his rookie season as the highest-placed first-year driver, finishing third in the championship with one win, six podiums, and 436 points.

Collet re-signed with HMD Motorsports for the 2025 Indy NXT season and elevated his performance throughout the year. He captured a breakthrough victory at Road America, swept both races at Laguna Seca from pole position, and added another pole at Portland. Despite a strong run of form, he finished the year as runner-up to Dennis Hauger by 72 points, recording three wins, three poles, and nine podiums across the season.

Driving Style and Strengths

Collet is widely regarded as a smooth, technically precise driver who excels in changeable weather conditions and on flowing road and street circuits. His race craft was on full display during the wet FIA Formula 3 sprint race in Hungary in 2022 and during his controlled drives at Road America and Laguna Seca in Indy NXT. He has built productive relationships with his HMD Motorsports engineering group and is known for his consistent ability to convert strong qualifying pace into points finishes.

Notable Races and Milestones

Among Collet’s most memorable results are his 2018 Pau Grand Prix victory in French F4, his dominant wet-weather win in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 round at the Hungaroring, and his first Indy NXT triumph at Mid-Ohio in 2024. His double victory at Laguna Seca in 2025 stood out as the highlight of his runner-up campaign and cemented his reputation as a leading American open-wheel talent.

Caio Collet Career Wins

Caio Collet has amassed race wins across multiple international single-seater championships, including French Formula 4, the Formula Renault Eurocup, FIA Formula 3, and Indy NXT. His most prolific season to date came in 2018, when he claimed the French F4 title with seven victories.

Indy NXT Highlights

Collet recorded one win in his 2024 Indy NXT rookie season and added three more victories in 2025, including a dominant double at Laguna Seca. He finished his first year third in the championship and followed it with a runner-up result in 2025, collecting nine podiums across the two seasons with HMD Motorsports.

Other Wins and Performances

Beyond his Indy NXT success, Collet captured three wins in FIA Formula 3 between 2021 and 2023, finished as runner-up in the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup, and won the 2018 French F4 Championship. Earlier in his career, he also scored a victory in the Formula 4 UAE Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit and took one win in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series at Teretonga Park.

Caio Collet Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Collet was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, and has Italian and French ancestry. His family supported his early move into European karting and his subsequent progression through the international single-seater ladder, including his placements with the Birel ART team and Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management scheme.

Personal Life

Collet has cited three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna as his racing hero and continues to live a life closely tied to his motorsport career. Information about his marital status and children has not been publicly confirmed.

2025 Season Performance

Caio Collet’s 2025 Indy NXT campaign with HMD Motorsports was his most competitive season in American open-wheel racing. He opened the year with a third-place finish at Saint Petersburg and added a runner-up result at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, signaling his intent to challenge for the title.

Midseason form proved decisive, as Collet captured his first win of the year at Road America after passing Dennis Hauger with five laps remaining. He followed that with a commanding double victory at Laguna Seca, taking pole and winning both races from start to finish, which moved him into championship contention heading into the final stretch of the season.

Despite another pole at Portland, Collet was unable to overtake Hauger for the title and finished the year as runner-up in the standings. He ended the 2025 season with three wins, three poles, and nine podiums, reinforcing his credentials as a future IndyCar driver and setting the stage for his confirmed promotion to A. J. Foyt Racing in 2026.