Oscar Piastri termed 'one of the best teammates ever' by PREMA's Robert Shwartzman

IndyCar driver Robert Shwartzman has named McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri one of the best teammates he ever had in his racing career. They raced alongside each other at PREMA Racing during the 2021 FIA F2 championship.

Their camaraderie and healthy competition were so good that PREMA Racing Team Principal Rene Rosin hailed them as "one of the best teams" he worked with. Robert Shwartzman, who joined PREMA's IndyCar team for their debut season in 2025, recently spoke about his bonding with Oscar Piastri.

"He was one of the best, if not the best teammate'I've had so far. I respect a lot the guy... first of all, he's a very, very talented kid, like he's very fast and very consistent and he's calm as well," Shwartzman said on The Red Flags Podcast. [32:40 onwards]

In the 2021 F2 season, Oscar Piastri emerged as the champion, while Shwartzman, who was in his second F2 year, finished runner-up. The IndyCar driver also spoke about how he is still awaiting a rematch of that season, which was especially unfortunate for him.

"We had a chat at some point, me and Oscar, and I was like 'I would really love a rematch with me and you in the season, like we're going to be again teammates because that second year (in F2), it was just not going right way for me, especially at the beginning and I was like, if just things would be a bit more, let's say equal in the sense of... let's call it luck or whatever. If things would not go as bad as it was at the beginning, we would really go nose to nose for that title."

Formula 2 Championship - Prize Giving Ceremony - Source: Getty

After 2021, both drivers found themselves as test drivers in F1. Ferrari signed Shwartzman as their test driver and Piastri worked for both Alpine and McLaren. Eventually, the Aussie found a full-time seat while his ex-teammate couldn't. Hence, he moved to IndyCar.

Robert Shwartzman comments on Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris' relationship as McLaren teammates

F1 Grand Prix of Qatar - Sprint & Qualifying - Source: Getty

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri displayed excellent sportsmanship as teammates in 2024. At the Hungarian GP in July, Norris, despite being in championship contention, obeyed team orders to let Piastri have the win. At the Sao Paulo GP, the Aussie returned the favor to let his British teammate win the Sprint Race.

Though Norris couldn't snatch the drivers' championship from Max Verstappen, their (Norris and Piastri) joint efforts helped McLaren win the constructors' championship after a long 26-year wait.

Robert Shwartzman, who competed with Norris during the 2015 Italian F4 championship and the 2016 Formula Renault 2.0 series, spoke about the McLaren pair on The Red Flags Podcast.

"I don't know what's their relationship. Honestly, I don't poke my nose in those things. I know they had a bit of things going on, but also from my side, it seemed that they were quite respectful for each other. I mean, come on, to give away a wing, you have to have a good respect."

In 2025, Shwartzman will race alongside PREMA Racing teammate Callum Ilott in IndyCar. Meanwhile, his ex-teammate Oscar Piastri will aim for his maiden F1 drivers' championship.