Rookie of the Year title "special" for Hauger despite "rollercoaster" season
It was a nervous Grand Prix of Monterey for IndyCar rookie Dennis Hauger. In the season finale, with the Rookie of the Year crown on the line, he had no control over proceedings and had to patiently wait to see how things would unfold in IndyCar's season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. After all, it is a prize that you only get one shot at.
Things looked pretty comfortable for the 23-year-old Norwegian pre-weekend, an 18-point gap to his closest competitor Mick Schumacher meant that a trouble-free day for Hauger would almost certainly seal him the rookie crown. The nightmare scenario happened just six corners in, as Hauger was ploughed into by Sting Ray Robb, sending Hauger into the Turn 6 barrier and out of the race, meaning he would take minimum points from the race.
From that point, all Hauger could do was watch and hope, as fellow rookies Schumacher and Caio Collet tried to snatch the title from him at the death.
"Yeah, it's obviously always annoying when you're fighting for something and you can't really do anything about it. You just have to sit and watch," Hauger remarks. "But yeah, I just went back to the pit wall with the team and looked at where everyone was at. Just hoped for a miracle, to be honest. Hoped for the best. Luckily we had a buffer going into this weekend that helped us a lot."
That 18-point buffer proved the difference for Hauger, as a 22nd-place finish for Schumacher and 20th-place finish for Collet were not enough for either to displace Hauger as the Rookie of the Year.
A 22nd-place in the standings was by no means spectacular but with the field so competitive and Hauger racing for series underdogs Dale Coyne Racing, his rookie year was always going to be a challenge. Nevertheless, he completed the task he set out to do prior to 2026.
"It's obviously been a bit of a rollercoaster this year," Hauger reflects on his season. "To become the Rookie of the Year and get that title is pretty special to me. It can only happen once. To be able to get it, it's pretty special.
"I've been super happy and lucky to race here, as well. It's just been such a fun ride."
Maybe the moment of Hauger's rookie campaign came in his first competitive session in the series, when he stunningly qualified third for the season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, becoming the first driver since 2021 to make the Fast Six in their first IndyCar session, a moment that Hauger pinpoints as his most special this year.
Although Hauger's year did not quite reach the highs that his St. Petersburg performance had suggested, he earned two top 10 finishes in his maiden season, a 10th-place in that St. Petersburg race and an eighth-place finish on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. As is often the case for rookies, those highs were often met by more difficult weekends too as part of the natural adaptation process.
"A lot of new experiences as a rookie, trying to learn something every weekend. I feel like I've done that. That's been one of my key points. Just trying to get better and better.
"Obviously we had a really good start to the year with that P3 qualifying. It's been going up and down as I kind of would expect. Overall pretty happy. I feel like I've shown what I can do at times. Obviously wish I could do it more often sometimes. That's part of the game."
Although 2026 marked Hauger's first IndyCar experience, the foundations for his Rookie of the Year crown trace back to the start of 2025, where he joined Andretti Global in Indy NXT, as he made the move to America after spending his entire career in Europe.
Hauger came flying out the blocks, dominating the season opener at St. Petersburg before claiming further wins at Barber, Indianapolis, Detroit, Mid-Ohio and Portland, as he cruised to the championship in his rookie Indy NXT season.
Although the competition was relatively smooth-sailing for Hauger, it gave him the opportunity to learn several of the tracks he would race on in IndyCar, including on ovals, as well as Firestone tyres and the smaller things such as rolling starts, terminology and usage of push-to-pass.
That prior learning certainly aided Hauger in his Rookie of the Year bid, particularly against the likes of Schumacher, but neither was it the case that 2026 was not without challenge.
"I feel like we've had some different phases of the year, to be honest. Some parts we have struggled in qualifying but been pretty good in the race. Other parts we've suddenly been decent in qualifying but struggling in the race.
"It's kind of been a confusing year I would say at times. Just for me, I think to myself, keep working with the team, never giving up, always trying to build from what we've done on the previous weekend.
So just always trying to get more knowledge and experience together as a team to move forward. I think that's been a big thing for me."
For some onlookers, Hauger's year has turned out differently to how it was expected. His move into IndyCar was accommodated by his Indy NXT title-winning team Andretti, with Hauger viewed as a potential option to replace Marcus Ericsson in the No.28 Andretti Global entry for 2027, with Dale Coyne Racing and Andretti entering a technical partnership to facilitate Hauger's move.
However, a resurgent year from Ericsson and an inconsistent one from Hauger led to such speculation quietening by mid-season, with Ericsson's Andretti return confirmed in August.
That announcement has left Hauger's IndyCar future up in the year, and with just a handful of seats still available, his IndyCar return is far from a certainty. A return with Dale Coyne is possible but whatever situation Hauger finds himself in, he believes that he is capable of making his mark in 2027.
"I don't really know exactly what the future brings yet for me. I know I have the capabilities to do something good. I feel like I've gained a lot of knowledge this year. I mean, just starting off again next year in St. Pete with, yeah, all the experience I have now, I feel like it will take me a big step forward already there. That would be pretty cool to get that opportunity."
Now all is said and done for 2026, just what has Hauger taken from his tumultuous rookie season?
"I think the main thing taken from this year is just how to work with the team, how to work on the technical side with the car, as well, knowing a bit more what I want and need for the future. Also I think teamwork, team ethic as a group is super important, especially when we have such a long season with 18 weekends, 18 rounds. I takes a toll on everyone.
"To have a good atmosphere, to work well together, yeah, to have an all-around good year is super important I think."
"Overall just as a season, I think we can be proud of what we've done."
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