Niels Koolen

Niels Koolen, born on May 25, 2001, is a Dutch racing driver carving his path through the world of motorsports. The son of Dakar Rally veteran and businessman Kees Koolen, Niels grew up immersed in a racing environment. Despite an initial interest in motocross, he found his passion on asphalt, starting competitive karting at the relatively late age of 14.

Koolen's career has seen him compete in various single-seater championships, including Formula Regional European Championship, Formula Regional Middle East Championship, and Italian and Spanish Formula 4. In 2024, he briefly stepped up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship with AIX Racing for the Monza and Baku rounds. Currently, in 2025, Koolen is competing in Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports, with aspirations of progressing to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. He is managed by A-14 Management, founded by Fernando Alonso. In addition to single-seaters, Koolen also participates in GT racing, driving an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO for Comtoyou Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe, competing in the Fanatec GT Endurance Cup.