“Brazilians don’t like watching sport, they like seeing Brazilians win”, summarized Caio Collet, 23, when explaining to Sheet the anticipation that accompanies his arrival in Indy this season.
The driver debuts in the category trying to put Brazil back among the protagonists of disputes on mixed and oval circuits in the United States, after the victorious cycle marked by Hélio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan, from the beginning of the 2000s until the beginning of this decade.
With his friend Gabriel Bortoleto racing for Audi, in F1, the country is once again represented simultaneously in the two main categories of world motorsport — something that has not happened since 2017, when Felipe Massa, Castroneves and Kanaan were still competing.
“Brazil is going through a very good phase in motorsport. Now it’s time to build results and bring pride to the nation. It’s a privilege and something that makes me very happy to be able to represent the country”, said Collet, who will make his debut this Sunday (1st), at 2pm (Brasília time), on the Saint Petersburg street circuit.
The race held in Florida is the first of 18 in the season. Band, ESPN4 and Disney+ broadcast the stage.
Runner-up in Indy NXT, the access category to Indy, the São Paulo native will race for the AJ Foyt Racing team, which has had five other Brazilians in its history, including Kanaan (2018–2020).
The team is one of the most traditional on the circuit, founded by AJ Foyt, the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times. Owner of seven Indy titles, the team is currently led by Larry Foyt, biological grandson and adopted son of AJ. Under his direction, the cars combine family tradition with a modern structure, focused on the development of young talents — a scenario in which Collet’s arrival fits.
Before arriving at Indy, the Brazilian built a solid career since karting. His debut in single-seaters took place in 2017, in F4 in the United Arab Emirates. The following year, he won the French F4 title, with seven victories in 21 races.
That year, his performance caught the attention of the Renault Sport Academy, which integrated the São Paulo native into the program of young drivers prepared to pursue an international career.
During the period in which he was linked to the team, he competed in three seasons of Formula 3, always finishing in the top ten of the championship. The path that could have taken him to Formula 1, however, had to be abandoned due to the high costs required to continue to Formula 2 and compete for a place in the main motorsport category.
“We had the opportunity to move up to F2 in top teams, but we didn’t have the necessary budget,” he explained. A season in the penultimate category before F1 could require an investment of at least US$3 million (R$15 million), according to estimates from the Race Fans website, which specializes in motorsport.
The change came after a test in the United States. “The opportunity arose and we grabbed it with both hands,” he said. According to him, the decision was already part of a larger project. “We didn’t move to the United States just to race Indy NXT. We moved to one day be able to get to Indy.”
Brazilian titles in Indy were confirmed throughout different eras of the category, with achievements by Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Gil de Ferran (2000 and 2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Tony Kanaan (2004), consolidating the country as one of the greatest foreign powers in American motorsport.
This protagonism was also reflected in the Indianapolis 500, the most traditional Indy race, where Brazil accumulated notable victories: Fittipaldi won in 1989 and 1993, Gil de Ferran triumphed in 2003, Tony Kanaan won the race in 2013, and Hélio Castroneves became the greatest Brazilian winner in history, with triumphs in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021, joining the select group of four-time champions of the race.
Aware of the expectations that accompany Brazilian drivers in the motorsport elite, Collet avoids immediate promises. “Motorsport is a sport with a lot of variables. You depend not only on the driver, but on other things as well. Now it’s time to build work so that one day this can be possible,” he said.
