Christian Rasmussen Looks to Make Step Up in 2025

Overseas Racing Career:

After starting his open-wheel racing career in his home country of Denmark, where he competed in the F4 Danish Championship and Danish Formula Ford Championship, Rasmussen moved to the US in 2018.

There he competed in the Formula 4 United States Championship, joining Jay Howard’s Motorsports Driver Development, a team he would be with for four years. In his first season overseas he managed five wins which was more than anybody else, eight podium finishes, and third in the championship.

In 2019, Rasmussen went on to compete in the highly competitive USF2000 National Championship. This championship was new to Christian and the team but that did not phase them one bit. In his rookie campaign, he managed to finish 3rd with 3 wins and the most points out of everyone in the 2nd half of the season.

The Danish driver remained in the series for the 2020 season, this time to complete the first leg of one of the best driver development programs in the world.

Road to Indy

The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires is a driver development program that provides a unique scholarship-funded path to reach the NTT IndyCar Series.

Graduates include NTT IndyCar drivers Colton Herta, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, and Felix Rosenqvist.

The USF2000 Championship at the time was the first step on the Road to Indy ladder and with a season under his belt, Christian essentially dominated the field. In 17 contests he earned nine victories, including the first six races of the year, eight poles, and landed on the podium ten times. His performance allowed him to clinch the championship title at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with two races to spare.

The year after he went on to the second leg, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship. 

The step up seemed to not phase Rasmussen as he won the championship after winning seven races, earning two poles, and ending with twelve podium finishes.

In Dec. 2021, it was announced that the Dane would compete in Indy Lights, currently known as Indy NXT, for Andretti Autosport in 2022. 

The final leg of Road to Indy proved to be more of a struggle to adapt to. That season saw him finishing sixth in the final points standings, winning just two races.

In 2023, he remained in the series, this time driving for HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing. 

His first-year experience seemed beneficial as he became the 2023 INDY NXT By Firestone champion, marking his third championship in the past four years. 

Moving up to the Big Leagues:

The Road to Indy program paid off as it announced that in 2024 Christian would compete in all road and street courses and the Indianapolis 500 with Ed Carpenter Racing.

This season was a bit of a learning curve for Christian but he showed progression over the year.

In the first seven races, Rasmussen had a 21.28 average finishing position, then improved to 16.57 over the second half.

The races at Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio showed a shift in the right direction. He managed to finish thirteenth and ninth in the respective races.

Initially, the Indy 500 was set to be his sole oval race of the season, and he achieved the best rookie finish in 12th place. Yet, with three oval races still to be held, team owner Ed Carpenter opted to give Rasmussen a chance to compete in those events as well. The Milwaukee Mile Race 1 saw him come in 11th, Race 2 in 16th and finished the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway in 14th.

Christian Rasmussen’s effort landed him a full-time opportunity in the No. 21 Chevrolet for 2025 teaming with Alexander Rossi.

A Big 2025 Season:

With a season under his belt, the newly 24-year-old wants to take a bigger step up performance-wise.

“My rookie year in INDYCAR was full of firsts, and I can’t wait to bring everything I’ve learned into my second season. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to teaming up with Alexander (Rossi) to push the team forward and fight toward the front of the grid more consistently.”

Looking at his career, when the Dane did spend another season in a series it resulted in a championship. Not saying he’s going to win the championship or a race but Christian Rasmussen in 2025 may look a little different.

With his speed, skill, and first-year experience he could fight for top 10 or even top 5 finishes.