The "live or die" story of PREMA Racing's road to Indy 500 history shared by Robert Shwartzman

Robert Shwartzman has revealed a crucial sub-chapter of PREMA Racing's road to writing Indy 500 history this year. The Israeli-Russian driver surprisingly took pole position for the 109th running of the race this year, where both he and the team were making their debut as rookies.

Before qualifying day, rarely did any analyst have a PREMA Racing driver in their Top 6 or Top 12 predictions, let alone on pole. However, Shwartzman, who hadn't raced on an oval before joining IndyCar this season, put in a sensational four-lap average of 232.79 mph, trumping the active greats of the sport.

While that day, May 18, saw the PREMA Racing driver secure that unique achievement to become the first rookie since Teo Fabi in 1983 to take Indy 500 pole, the pivotal moment came the day before, on day one of qualifying. Shwartzman had a sketchy first four-lap run on Saturday, having issues with his car balance, but somehow managed to avoid crashing.

Not only did he tame his No. 83 PREMA Racing challenger, but he also propelled himself to P6 of 34 drivers. The former Ferrari F1 development driver, who had two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden's former race engineer on his pit wall that month, shared the story of the run of 'survival' in a recent interview on IndyCar's YouTube channel.

"I knew that I had only one chance, that I had to use everything to get in, and the target was to generally get in the Top 12," Shwartzman said [9:42 onwards]. "And that was the sketchiest run of my life because at that stage, we over-pushed ourselves with the car. Like, the car was really hard to drive. So even a couple of drivers, like Scott Dixon came up to me and he was like, 'Yo, I saw your steering trace, and what the hell was going on?' He was like, 'How did you kept it alive?' And I was, 'I don't know.' I was trying to survive." "Like, honestly, I was juggling it around, the last two laps, especially when the tires start to go off. At that stage, in my head, I had just like, I have to finish this run. I will not have another opportunity, I'm not going to go out again. So I have to keep on, and it was more like a live or die situation (laughs), you know, just survival."

While Shwartzman had a dream run in qualifying, having two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden's former race engineer on his pit wall, the race turned out to be a nightmare. He crashed into his pit crew during a pit stop, damaging his car and ending his race right there. An injured pit crew member was also taken away on a stretcher shortly after.

Where does PREMA Racing stand in pursuit of a second season in IndyCar?

The PREMA Racing cars of Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott at the 025 IndyCar Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Source: Getty

PREMA Racing had a successful first season in IndyCar, considering how the team set everything up within one year, including a full-fledged shop in Indiana and two Dallara DW12 Chevrolet-powered cars. With one rookie in Robert Shwartzman and a relatively experienced IndyCar driver in Callum Ilott, the Italian team wrote a new chapter in its decades-long presence in motorsport.

However, the team is looking for sponsorship to continue racing in the series in 2026. While there was chatter about PREMA wanting to sell the IndyCar team for $20-25 million, IndyCar president Doug Boles shared in mid-October that the team is working hard to continue in the series next year.

Moreover, Shwartzman and Ilott are already under contract for 2026. Amid the reports about financial difficulties, it was reported that Ilott was eyeing a return to endurance racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the WEC. However, the Briton has yet to share a confirmation on the same.

Edited by Yash Kotak