There have been months of intrigue building ahead of PREMA’s maiden IndyCar season – specifically around who will pilot their cars.
Callum Ilott was confirmed as one of their drivers in early September, and they have taken time to assess the driver market since.
There was a variety of attractive IndyCar free agents available to them, including guys with good experience at this level.
However, they have decided to go in a new direction, turning to a driver who competed for them in Formula 2 just a few years ago.
Robert Shwartzman ready for ‘completely new challenge’
Robert Shwartzman is a driver with lots of single-seater experience and has competed in various Formula 1 sessions – which makes him a wise appointment for PREMA.
His time in the Ferrari driver academy has helped him to prepare for a new opportunity in IndyCar – as he heads into his rookie season with a rookie team.
Speaking ahead of his debut season, he looked forward to the challenge of a new series and believes that his experience will help him.
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“IndyCar is a very competitive series, with so many strong drivers, and I’m looking forward to the racing, as it looks really cool,” said Shwartzman.
“I have never driven on ovals and to master them, it will be a completely new challenge.
“However, with Prema we achieved a lot in the past, and I think that my F1 and endurance experience will be helpful to make us evolve fast and get up to speed quickly.”
How long will it take for PREMA to get up to speed?
Taking a look at similar examples of new IndyCar teams, it’s clear that it can take a while to adjust to the new surroundings of IndyCar.
Take McLaren for example – a team who knows how to win in multiple different categories, but have taken time to steadily improve in IndyCar.
On a smaller scale, it still took Juncos Hollinger seven years to claim their first podium with Conor Daly, and have only just started to trouble the top 10 regularly.
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Thankfully, Ilott has some IndyCar experience with a few different teams, so knows what it takes to maximise a package.
If they are contending for a few top-10 finishes this year, that should be seen as a success for them – especially considering that they are the only non-charter team.