Prema Racing will field Robert Shwartzman alongside Callum Ilott in its first IndyCar campaign in 2025, which is able to feature two drivers with whom the Italian team has enjoyed success in junior formulas.
It's a brand new profession path for Shwartzman, who won the FIA ​​F3 championship in 2019 and was runner-up in F2 two years later – each times with Prema – but never made it onto the Formula 1 grid.
Having been an F1 test driver for the past three years after which a reserve driver for Ferrari, Shwartzman raced a prancing horse for affiliate team AF Corse within the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.
The 25-year-old then joined the WEC's Hypercar class this yr in a Ferrari 499P, winning on the Circuit of the Americas with teammates Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye while ending ninth within the Drivers' Championship.
Shwartzman now takes on a brand new challenge in IndyCar and knows that mastering the various latest tracks, in addition to driving the team's Chevrolet-powered Dallara, will put him to the test.
“Everything will be new for us and there will be many challenges, but it will also be great fun and a lot of work at the same time,” said the Russian-Israeli. “I believe now we have a really successful future ahead of us.
Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing
Photo: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“IndyCar is a really close series with so many strong drivers, I can't wait to see the races because they give the impression of being really cool.
“I actually have never ridden on ovals and mastering them can be a very latest challenge.
“But with Prema we have achieved a lot in the past and I think my experience in F1 and endurance racing will help us develop quickly and gain speed quickly.”
Prema team owner Rene Rosin called Shwartzman “an extremely talented driver” and added: “By working together, I think we will be able to overcome the steep learning curve that lies ahead.”
Meanwhile, Prema IndyCar CEO Piers Phillips agreed: “Robert has a really impressive CV and has been competitive in every single place he has gone, from single-seaters to GTs and prototypes.
“We believe his skills and versatility will benefit him greatly and help our team learn faster and be more efficient.”
Phil Hanson has signed a contract to effectively replace Shwartzman next yr's AF Corse-owned 499P and can likely be joined by incumbents Ye and Kubica, who told Motorsport.com ultimately weekend's WEC finale in Bahrain that he “didn't come here” just for a yr.”
