HMD Motorsports signs former F1 junior driver for 2025 Indy NXT season

HMD Motorsports signed former Alfa Romeo development driver Juan Manuel Correa for the 2025 Indy NXT season. The team made the announcement of signing the American-Ecuadorian on May 7 ahead of the Indy NXT race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Correa is a former F2 driver who began his open-wheel racing career in Europe. He progressed through the Formula ladder before his crash in 2019, which set back his career. The 25-year-old moved to the US to race in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar championship for the 2025 season in the LMP2 category with United Autosports.

As HMD Motorsports made the announcement, the team detailed that Correa will be joining the team for seven race weekends during the current season, as well as two Indy NXT oval tests. The American-Ecuadorian driver’s Indy NXT debut will be the upcoming race, the Sonsio Grand Prix at the IMS Road Course.

Juan Manuel Correa detailed how the Indy NXT move is a big step in his open-wheel racing career and claimed that he will be giving it his all to do well in the series. The HMD Motorsports signing said, (via press release)

“I’m incredibly excited to join the HMD Motorsports family and compete in INDY NXT in 2025. This opportunity is a huge step in my career, and I’m looking forward to applying everything I’ve learned in my previous experiences to the upcoming races. The support from the team has been amazing, and I’m ready to give my best on track.”

Alfa Romeo (now Kick Sauber) signed Correa as their development driver in 2019. However, after a life-threatening F2 crash at the Spa Francorchamps, which led to Anthoine Hubert’s death, Juan Manuel Correa was critically injured in both his legs, and he spent the 2020 season recovering.

The driver then joined F3 in 2021 as he got up to speed and raced in F2 for the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Van Amersfoort Racing and DAMS Lucas Oil, respectively.

HMD Motorsports President on signing Juan Manuel Correa

HMD Motorsports Team President Mike Maurini hailed Juan Manuel Correa as the 25-year-old signed with the Indy NXT team. Maurini detailed Correa’s extensive open-wheel racing background in European series:

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

“We are thrilled to welcome Juan Manuel Correa to HMD. We have been in contact for a while, and when we crossed paths last week at Barber Motorsports Park, I had asked if he was interested in racing in INDY NXT. Less than 24 hours later, a deal was done, and 36 hours later, he was on a plane to Indy.”

The next couple of Indy NXT races take place at the IMS on May 9 & May 10.