Motorsports
Juan Manuel Correa joins HMD Motorsports for Indy NXT race on IMS road course
Correa, a dual citizen of Ecuador and the United States, has been racing in European junior formula series as well as in sports cars since 2016. INDIANAPOLIS — Three-time Formula 2 podium finisher Juan Manuel Correa is heading stateside after competing in Europe for the better part of nine seasons. The 25-year-old driver, who holds […]
Correa, a dual citizen of Ecuador and the United States, has been racing in European junior formula series as well as in sports cars since 2016.
INDIANAPOLIS — Three-time Formula 2 podium finisher Juan Manuel Correa is heading stateside after competing in Europe for the better part of nine seasons.
The 25-year-old driver, who holds dual citizenship in Ecuador and the United States, has signed with HMD Motorsports to replace the recently departed American driver Bryce Aron in the No. 39 Indy NXT entry in the upcoming race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
He will also compete in two oval tests and at least seven event weekends, according to Wednesday’s press release.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the HMD Motorsports family and compete in Indy NXT in 2025,” Correa said. “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.”
Correa’s junior formula career began in Italian Formula 4 in 2016, where he won three races and finished sixth in the championship. He also competed in German Formula 4 that same year, scoring one podium at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
By 2018, Correa was competing in the GP3 Series, which is now known as Formula 3. While he did not score any podiums, he did score points in over half of the races and finished 12th in points.
In 2019, Correa moved up to the Formula 2 championship with Charouz. He scored two podiums, both second place finishes, in Azerbaijan and France. However, his season was cut short after he was involved in a terrifying crash at Spa-Francorchamps. The accident caused life-threatening injuries to Correa and also killed fellow driver Anthoine Hubert.
The accident not only sidelined Correa for the rest of the 2019 F2 season but also forced him to miss the entire 2020 racing season due to injury. He eventually returned to the cockpit in 2021, driving in the Formula 3 Championship for ART Grand Prix. He scored one podium during his return to F3, finishing second at Zandvoort in 2022.
Correa returned to Formula 2 at the end of 2022 before returning full time in 2023. In 2024, Correa once again raced in F2, scoring one podium, a third-place finish in Spain.
In addition to his junior formula background, Correa has been dabbling in sports cars since 2023. He ran a partial schedule in the World Endurance Championship with Prema Racing in 2023, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and made an IMSA start earlier this year at Sebring in the LMP2 class.
“We are thrilled to welcome Juan Manuel Correa to HMD,” HMD Motorsports Team President Mike Maurini said. “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.”
Indy NXT is set for a doubleheader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 9 and 10 as support races during the Sonsio Grand Prix weekend for the IndyCar Series.