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IndyCar: Matheus Leist to drive for AJ Foyt Enterprises in 2018

By Asher Fair

AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 28: Conor Daly, driver of the #4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet drives during practice for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 28, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 28: Conor Daly, driver of the #4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet drives during practice for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 28, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Confirming previous speculation, 19-year-old Matheus Leist is set to drive for AJ Foyt Enterprises in the 2018 IndyCar season.

Matheus Leist, 19, is set to drive for AJ Foyt Enterprises in the #4 Chevrolet as Conor Daly’s replacement in the 2018 IndyCar season. The Brazilian will be a teammate to fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan, 42, who will drive the #14 Chevrolet for the first time next season as Carlos Munoz’s replacement after spending four seasons driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Because of the fact that they have signed Leist, AJ Foyt Enterprises will have an all-Brazilian lineup in the 2018 IndyCar season to go along with the all-American lineup of Andretti Autosport, featuring Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi and Zach Veach, the all-Canadian lineup of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, featuring James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens, and what may become the all-American lineup of Ed Carpenter Racing, featuring team owner Ed Carpenter on the oval tracks, Spencer Pigot as the full-time driver, and whoever Carpenter decides to let race on the road and street courses.

Leist won the 2016 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship before driving in Indy Lights for the first time this past season for Carlin Motorsport. As a whole, his rookie season in the series was pretty successful, especially since he was just 19 years old. He did have somewhat of a rough start to the year, as his results in the first two races of the season at St. Petersburg were a DNF and an 11th place finish at St. Petersburg, but he was able to rebound from that early disappointment.

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Leist went on to win his first career race in Indy Lights at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 2017 Freedom 100. That victory for Leist begun a span of four races during which he won at every single venue he raced at. After winning the Freedom 100, he won one of the two races held at the Road America road course before winning at Iowa Speedway for his third and final victory of the 2017 season.

Leist ended up finishing the 2017 season, which featured a total of 16 races on 10 different tracks, in 4th place in the drivers standings with three victories, another podium finish and five other top 5 finishes. After his rough two-race start to the season, he only finished outside of the top 10 twice more throughout the rest of the season.

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How will Matheus Leist perform in his rookie season as a full-time IndyCar driver for AJ Foyt Enterprises? With how much the team has struggled in recent years and the fact that they haven’t won a race since the 2013 season, Leist isn’t expected to contend for wins right out of the gate, but will he be able to rack up a few top 5 finishes? He certainly has the potential to do so.