PREMA rookie Robert Shwartzman on his Indy 500 Open Test: “Scary for me”

34 IndyCar drivers, including PREMA rookie Robert Shwartzman, headed to the 2.605-mile-long Indianapolis Motor Speedway to partake in the two-day Open test to prepare them for the upcoming Indy 500 race.

According to IndyCar staff writer Eric Smith, while seasoned drivers have grown accustomed to the high-octane thrill of the greatest spectacle in motor racing, i.e. the Indy 500, it's the rookies who best capture what it truly feels like to rocket around the oval at 220 mph.

“The track is really fun, really fast,” PREMA Racing rookie driver Robert Shwartzman said. “It’s impressive, the speed and the feeling you get. You go flat out, and you’re like, ‘OK, I just need to hold that flat.’

“It’s a bit scary for me as a rookie, first time, but you still get the confidence lap by lap with the car that it’s staying there. Overall, really cool experience.”

The pace setters for the two days were Chip Ganassi's Alex Palou and Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin, but the debutant's experience is what gave a new lens to the outing. It will be the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 25, 2025, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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'Tricky': Robert Shwartzman on his first oval test at Nashville

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The Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) took place at the 1.3-mile-long oval of Nashville Superspeedway on March 26. The premier motorsports track witnessed rookies, including Robert Shwartzman, undergo the first step of preparation before stepping into the cockpit on May 25, 2025, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Participation in the Indianapolis 500 requires all first-time drivers to complete the ROP. Following this, they must meet the qualifying standards by completing four consecutive laps. Such was the case with the Russian-Israeli driver and PREMA Racing rookie. However, his first taste of high speed proved a bit tricky for him.

“The beginning was tricky to get to know the car on the oval for my brain to cooperate at those speeds that I’m going in the corner at like 200 mph. It’s interesting to get a bit of that feeling that the car is going to stay there; you can do it. Lap by lap, I managed to get there.”

Robert Shwartzman, who has served as a test and reserve driver for Ferrari and Sauber and as a Formula E test driver for DS Penske, stated the machine was different from anything he had ever driven.

“I have to say the first feeling was very different to anything I’ve driven until now. It’s a different emotion, different G forces, which was kind of fun.Overall, I’m happy with how it went as we did consistent laps, good runs, which now have given me a decent baseline knowledge about what to expect and how this car feels on an oval,” he added.

Robert Shwartzman is currently 22nd in the NTT IndyCar Series Championship with 30 points.