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IndyCar's newest team, PREMA Racing, is anything but new to motorsport. Founded by Angelo Rosin and Giorgio Piccolo in 1983 in the picturesque region of Veneto, Italy, PREMA became the most successful team in the junior Formula series.
On Saturday, January 11, the Italian team launched its IndyCar program live in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event was a success and team owner, Rene Rosin, son of co-founder Angelo Rosin, said (via PREMA Racing):
"Our history and heritage have defined what we are today and still define the goals we are looking to achieve. We were looking forward to communicating that and we hope everyone enjoyed getting to know more about us as much as we did so far in our first INDYCAR experience."
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The emphasized 'history and heritage' of the team has made them a reputed name in the racing world, and the IndyCar entry should make them a household name.
On that note, here's a deeper look at PREMA's triumphs in the European circuit and the World Endurance Championship.
PREMA Racing's spectacular alumni that conquered F1
PREMA Racing fields cars at nearly all levels of the European motorsport ladder - from karting through to F2. F1 is the only open-wheel series it hasn't entered. However, that hasn't stopped it from making an impact at the pinnacle of motorsport.
The iconic team has produced some of F1's greatest talents. Ferrari's golden boy Charles Leclerc, McLaren's future champion Oscar Piastri, two-time champion Jacques Villeneuve, 10-time race winner Valtteri Bottas, and many more. The two most promising rookies of 2025, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, are also products of PREMA's world-class programs.
In 2023, the team also expanded into the F1 Academy, the female-only single-seater championship with Chloe Chong, Marta Garcia, and Bianca Bustamante. Garcia won the inaugural season and PREMA also took the constructors' championship home.
With a new driver line-up in 2024, including Doriane Pin, Maya Weug, and Tina Hausmann, PREMA won their second consecutive constructors' championship. Pin finished runner-up in the drivers' championship.
PREMA Racing's IndyCar drivers, Robert Shwartzman and Callum llott, are graduates of the team's F3 and F2 programs too.
The birth of PREMA Racing's F3 project and the transition into conquering F2
PREMA Racing achieved significant success in Italian F3 one year after its establishment in 1983. Their driver Gianfranco Tacchino finished third in the 1984 season. They won their first championship in 1990, followed by two consecutive championships in 1998 and 1999.
PREMA rang in the new millennium with three Italian Formula Renault championships in 2001, 2003, and 2005. Their debut in the Formula 3 Euro series was equally spectacular, taking the championship with Ryan Briscoe in 2003. However, a turbulent period followed before they made a comeback with two more titles in 2011 and 2012.
2012 onwards, it was trophies galore for the Italian team. Barring 2017, PREMA won the FIA F3 European championship from 2012 to 2018. Simultaneously, they achieved big in the Italian F4 series.
In 2017, they stepped foot into the FIA F2 championship, winning the title on debut with Charles Leclerc. PREMA added two more to this tally consecutively in 2020 and 2021, with Mick Schumacher and Oscar Piastri claiming the top prize, respectively.
In 2019, the FIA F3 championship came calling, which PREMA dominated from their first season onwards. Except for a runner-up finish in 2021, they have won all F3 titles since then.
PREMA's expansion into the World Endurance Championship
PREMA Racing entered the big leagues in 2022, making its debut in the LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championship. The WEC treated the Italian team well, as they finished 5th out of 15 entries in the standings. The highlight of their debut year was a second-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In the same year, they dominated the European Le Mans series in the No. 9 Oreca 07, winning four out of six races and the championship. However, 2023 in the WEC wasn't similarly kind. PREMA added a second car, the No. 63 Oreca 07, which finished eighth in the standings, and the No. 9's performance worsened to drop to ninth in the standings.
