“Do you want an ordinary life or an extraordinary life?”: IndyCar rookie Robert Shwartzman talks about his ambition ahead of 2025 season

Robert Shwartzman will make his debut in the IndyCar series this year. The Russian-Israeli driver would drive for the newly set Prema Racing team and revealed his ambitions for the year.

The 25-year-old is a revered face in the junior open-wheel racing scene. He has multiple accolades against his name, that includes being the F3 champion in 2019 and the vice-champion of F2 in 2021.

Despite having such great results and being a Ferrari academy driver, Shwartzman was unable to get his breakthrough into F1, and he eventually became a driver in the FIA WEC series.

Subsequently, the opportunity to race in IndyCar knocked on his door and It appeared as a daunting task to Shwartzman. Despite this, he remained unfazed and took on the challenge (via IndyCar):

"Honestly, it's a big compromise. It's a big challenge. So basically, you drop everything for it. It’s always a sacrifice. What do you want to do? Do you want an ordinary life or an extraordinary life? That’s your decision."

Moreover, the 25-year-old explained how he had to sacrifice his childhood to achieve his dream and would not back down in true racing spirit.

“My decision was always go for it. Go racing. Especially when I was a young kid, I didn’t have many friends. I was a bit in my own world. At some point I felt quite lonely, but that's the cost that you have to pay."

The 2025 IndyCar season would begin on March 2, around the streets of St. Petersburg. This will be Shwartzman's first endeavor behind an IndyCar and would like to make the most of his opportunity.

Prema Racing asserts faith in Robert Shwartzman

Robert Shwartzman - Source: Getty

Robert Shwartzman had a mediocre journey in his time in endurance racing. In two years, he secured eighth and ninth-place finishes in Pro and Hypercar classes. Regardless of this, team owner Rene Rosin was focused on the 25-year-old's successful time with the team during his junior days, and said(via Prema Racing):

"We have had some exceptional seasons together, winning a lot of races and the 2019 FIA F3 title, and we also thoroughly enjoyed working with him. He is an extremely talented driver and I think that, by working together, we will be able to overcome the steep learning curve that lies ahead of us. I cannot wait to see him and Callum compete under the PREMA banner again."

On the other hand, his teammate Callum Ilott has already been racing in the series for four years. This would possibly create a performance gap between the two drivers, which might get reduced by the end of the season as both Shwartzman and Prema Racing get adapted to the IndyCar world.