HMD Motorsports has officially signed 16-year-old Brazilian-American driver Leonardo Escorpioni to its 2027 Indy NXT by Firestone lineup.
Escorpioni's promotion comes after serving as the team's official Junior Driver throughout the 2026 season. The young talent moves up into Indy NXT bringing both valuable familiarity with the team and a strong track record across the open-wheel ladder as he continues his trajectory toward the IndyCar Series.
Escorpioni makes the leap following an impressive rookie campaign in the 2026 USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire, where he earned vice-champion honors. After making the jump from USF Juniors, he established himself early as a title contender and led the championship standings for much of the year before visa complications disrupted his title push. The strong finish built on his 2025 USF Juniors championship title, underscoring his rapid rise through the single-seater ranks.
His open-wheel career began in early 2024 at the YACademy Winter Series for USF Juniors, highlighted by a race victory at Sebring International Raceway. Following his USF Juniors championship win, he made a brief appearance in USF2000 before swiftly advancing to USF Pro 2000. Now, just two years after his single-seater debut, Escorpioni is set to tackle his first full season at the INDY NXT level.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to race in Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports,” Escorpioni said. “After working with the team as their Junior Driver throughout the 2026 season, I feel I have a strong foundation heading into my debut year. Spending time with the drivers and engineers and learning from them last season was valuable, so getting into the car for the first time at the Driver Evaluation Test was a dream come true. I’m really looking forward to the season and hope to be competing at the front.”
HMD Motorsports leadership expressed strong confidence in Escorpioni's integration and potential ahead of his series debut.
“We’re looking forward to Leonardo’s debut season,” said HMD Motorsports Team President Mike Maurini. “After spending the 2026 season learning the ins and outs of our team, Leo already has a strong understanding of our people and processes. We believe that familiarity will be an advantage as he transitions into Indy NXT, and we see a great deal of potential in him. Our goal is to give him the tools and support he needs to be competitive from the opening round.”
Preparations for the upcoming campaign are already underway. Escorpioni recently completed his first laps in Indy NXT machinery during the Driver Evaluation Test and the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will remain embedded with HMD Motorsports throughout the official preseason testing calendar ahead of the 2027 season opener.
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