PREMA's Robert Shwartzman discloses his biggest weakness ahead of IndyCar debut

PREMA Racing's IndyCar driver Robert Shwartzman has opened up about his weakness of having no experience of racing on ovals, which is a distinct feature of IndyCar.

The former Ferrari F1 reserve driver will make his debut in the American series in 2025 with PREMA, which is equally new to it and has yet to record a race. However, the Italian team has a legendary racing heritage and is one of the most successful teams in the European Junior Formula Series.

In an exclusive interview with Fastest Formula News, Shwartzman honestly admitted how the lack of experience on ovals will pose a challenge in his rookie IndyCar season.

"I’ve never done ovals so that’s gonna be a new challenge for me, but plus again with Prema, with the people that I know, it feels better to join that series together, so I am very excited. There is obviously a lot of work as well to do together because I’m a rookie, the team is a rookie so we both need to learn a lot of things, work a lot, work hard and which we’re doing," he said.

Despite considerable ground to cover for both him and the team, the 2019 F3 champion trusted their prep. He also looked at the silver lining - the bigger the challenge, the sweeter the taste of victory.

"Everything is ready, everything is…but I don’t know how to explain it, like it is sort of a journey which we’re going to go together from zero, that’s what I want to say, that’s you know, so the victory should taste even better," he said.

Robert Shwartzman will have the relatively experienced Callum Ilott alongside him as his teammate. Ilott's four years of IndyCar experience, including two full-time seasons with Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2022 and 2023, will help Shwartzman navigate new territory with better insights.

Robert Shwartzman counts on WEC experience to make his IndyCar switch smoother

6 Hours Of Fuji - FIA World Endurance Championship 2024 - Source: Getty

Robert Shwartzman raced in the 2024 World Endurance Championship with AF Corse, which fielded the Ferrari 499P Hypercar. The Russian-Israeli driver finished ninth in the standings with a lone victory at COTA in Austin, Texas.

The WEC races go on for a minimum of six hours. That is something Shwartzman didn't experience in his junior Formula career. IndyCar races lie somewhere between the two, with the runtime anywhere between 1.5 hours and three hours or slightly more. He is counting on his WEC experience to aid his IndyCar career.

"So the positive thing about WEC is just, getting used to long stints, long types of races, quite high, you know, demanding races. I think that’s one of the WEC things that is bringing me in," he said via Fastest Formula News.

PREMA's pace in their first 2025 IndyCar test in January at Sebring was respectable. In the private six-car test with three Andretti Global drivers, two PREMA drivers, and Dale Coyne Racing's Jacob Abel, Robert Shwartzman secured third place, less than two-tenths off of leader Marcus Ericsson.