Matheus "Matt" Leist was among several Verizon IndyCar Series drivers who attended the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, but the AJ Foyt Racing driver had a more vested interest than most.
The 20-year-old Brazilian (at left in above photo) was there to support younger brother Arthur, who was competing in the F4 U.S. Championship doubleheader season finale on the weekend undercard.
Matheus Leist recalled the early years as the brothers started racing in 2007 and shared many weekends at tracks over the next six years. That changed when Matheus had the opportunity to move to England in 2015 to further his career. It paid off the following year when he captured four wins and 11 podiums to claim the 2016 British F3 Championship.
Now, a year into his role as driver of the No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet in the Verizon IndyCar Series, he relishes every ounce of family time.
“To be (at Austin) driver-coaching him, I’m trying to give him some advice and some stuff that I learned in the past,” Matheus said of his 17-year-old brother. “I'm still learning. I'm just having a blast here.
“This is actually the second race weekend that I'm with him this year. I was at the first one (in April) in VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and then I'm here now with my whole family. This is actually the only time we get to see each other because he's going back to Brazil after the race. He still goes to high school in Brazil, so he doesn't live with me here, and then pretty cool to see them and be around another race weekend with this guy.”
Arthur Leist had a banner rookie campaign in F4 with a pair of third-place finishes and 10 top-10 finishes in 17 races to place ninth in the overall championship.
“It's pretty special having my brother here with me,” said Arthur, pilot of the No. 30 Crosslink Racing with Kiwi Motorsport Honda.
“At Virginia, he was with me. It was really good, but it was my first race in formula cars so it was a little bit tough, but here he helped me a lot. He has much more experience than me. He's always supported me and always has good advice for me, so it's very special for me having him here.”
The weekend at COTA – which will play host to an IndyCar Series race for the first time in 2019 – threw a variety of elements at Arthur. Friday featured torrential rain and chilly temperatures. By Sunday, it was sunny and warm. The changing conditions meant Matheus was constantly assisting Arthur in finding the preferred driving line.
Arthur has a goal of one day joining his brother in INDYCAR, which could include a run in the Mazda Road to Indy, the INDYCAR-sanctioned three-step development ladder.
“I think I will do one more year here in Formula 4, and then we're planning on doing USF2000 and then Pro Mazda,” Arthur said. “All of the Road to Indy, Indy Lights, and try to go to INDYCAR and race together with my brother.
“That will be really special. I hope so.”
For Matheus, the thought of sharing the grid with his brother in North America’s premier open-wheel championship brought a wide smile to his face.
“That'll be pretty good,” he admitted. “INDYCAR is growing a lot. When you see people talking and you see Formula One drivers wanting to come to race in INDYCAR, it just shows how professional and how the level in INDYCAR is pretty high.
“This is something very good to me and to all the drivers because I want to be in a series that I'm racing against the best drivers in the world. I don't want to be somewhere that I'm not racing against the best because then I'm not going to show my potential. So I'm happy to be in INDYCAR.
“I'm here with my brother, he's racing Formula 4. Hopefully, one day he's going to be in INDYCAR with us. I know the boy has talent. … Maybe in five years, he is going to be with us in INDYCAR.”