News that Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist will leave Meyer Shank Racing at the end of 2026 became the first known instance of an open IndyCar seat in 2027. MSR now has to fill its No. 60 car, and at least one option for the seat has been revealed.
Helio Castroneves, who owns a minority stake in MSR and drives for the team annually in the Indy 500, recently appeared on “Ticaracaticast,” a Brazilian podcast. Castroneves spoke about young Brazilian drivers and brought up AJ Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collet, who he said is in talks with MSR.
When translating Portuguese to English via Microsoft Copilot, Castroneves said, “Today we’ve got Caio Collet — he’s doing really well. He came from Indy NXT and he’s performing great. We’re talking with him about possibly bringing him onto the team.”
A source confirmed to IndyStar that MSR and Collet are indeed in talks about the 24-year-old Brazilian joining the team next year. Collet finished second in Indy NXT in 2025 to Dale Coyne Racing’s Dennis Hauger, and he’s 23rd in the IndyCar standings through 10 of the season’s 18 races.
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While the results haven’t been there, Collet has impressed folks throughout the paddock on the last two ovals, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Racing. Collet led nine laps of the Indy 500 and was 11th late in the race before crashing into Turn 2 on Lap 193, resulting in broken ribs and a 26th-place finish. Two weeks later, he led seven laps of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 before his No. 4 Chevrolet suffered an engine failure with 24 laps to go and didn’t finish the race, placing 22nd.
Collet’s stock continues to rise despite being near the bottom of the standings, and he could use this moment to upgrade cars in 2027. MSR co-owners Mike Shank and Jim Meyer are exhausting multiple options, as they have to fill Rosenqvist’s seat and could need to replace Marcus Armstrong, who’s also in a contract year.
“(Jim) and I will decide together on what’s best for us,” Shank told IndyStar on Wednesday, “whether that’s a veteran-ish type person or if it’s someone new (who) we try to develop ourselves. And that is a great riddle. Ultimately, we’re all trying to figure out how to consistently beat Alex Palou right now, to be honest with you. So however we think we can do that best is how we’re going to look at that.”
MSR has a technical alliance with Palou’s team, Chip Ganassi Racing, which has helped MSR achieve its most consistent results over the last two seasons. Many drivers could want to throw their hat in the ring to drive a CGR-affiliated car, and Collet might be one of them.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rookie IndyCar driver in talks with Meyer Shank Racing to replace Felix Rosenqvist
Reporting by Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
