Prema Racing will subject Robert Shwartzman alongside Callum Ilott for its maiden IndyCar marketing campaign in 2025, bringing collectively two drivers the Italian squad had success with in junior formulation.
This can be a new profession path for Shwartzman, who gained the FIA F3 championship in 2019 and was the F2 runner-up in F2 two years later – each instances with Prema – however by no means made it to the System 1 grid.
Having been an F1 take a look at then reserve driver for Ferrari within the final three years, Shwartzman raced for the prancing horse with affiliated outfit AF Corse within the GT World Problem Europe Endurance Cup in 2023.
The 25-year-old subsequently joined the WEC’s Hypercar class this 12 months in a Ferrari 499P, successful at Circuit of the Americas with team-mates Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye whereas taking ninth place within the drivers’ standings.
Shwartzman now takes on a brand new problem in IndyCar and is conscious that mastering many new tracks in addition to the staff’s Chevrolet-powered Dallara will put him to the take a look at.
“The whole lot might be new to us and there might be many challenges, however it’ll even be plenty of enjoyable and plenty of work on the similar time,” the Russian-Israeli mentioned. “I feel a really profitable future lies forward for us.
Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
“IndyCar is a really aggressive sequence, with so many sturdy drivers, and I am trying ahead to the racing, because it appears actually cool.
“I’ve by no means pushed on ovals and to grasp them, will probably be a very new problem.
“Nevertheless, with Prema we achieved rather a lot prior to now, and I feel that my F1 and endurance expertise might be useful to make us evolve quick and rise up to hurry shortly.”
Prema staff proprietor Rene Rosin branded Shwartzman “a particularly proficient driver”, including: “I feel that, by working collectively, we will overcome the steep studying curve that lies forward of us.”
In the meantime, Prema’s IndyCar CEO Piers Phillips concurred: “Robert has a really spectacular resume and has been aggressive all over the place he went, from single-seaters to GT and prototypes.
“We predict his abilities and flexibility will assist him significantly, and also will assist our staff to be taught quicker and be extra environment friendly.”
Phil Hanson has signed to successfully substitute Shwartzman within the buyer AF Corse-run 499P subsequent 12 months, and is more likely to be joined by incumbents Ye and Kubica – who advised Motorsport.com eventually weekend’s Bahrain WEC finale that he “didn’t come right here for only one 12 months”.
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