The arrival of PREMA in IndyCar is one of the most highly anticipated events in recent memory, bringing an experienced racing team to a new series.
Their youthful driver pairing of Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman sets them up well for long-term success.
Both have proven their talents across their junior career, and Ilott has even racked up plenty of mileage in IndyCar already.
It’s rare that new teams hit the ground running and compete straight away, but if anyone can do it – the perennial junior category winners can do it.
Prema’s IndyCar preparations ‘pretty much done’
Juncos Hollinger Racing serve as a pretty good reminder of how long it can take for a new team to kick into gear after their arrival.
It took them seven years to get up to speed before securing their first podium, courtesy of Conor Daly at the Milwaukee Mile.
Speaking to RACER, Angelina Ertsou mentioned that they are heading towards their targets at an impressive rate.
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“That’s been great in terms of staff recruitment. Everything is on schedule. We’re pretty much complete. Maybe a couple of positions left to fill. Pretty much done there. It’s around 40 people.
“It will be more going forward. But we just wanted to secure what we think is a good amount of people to have the two cars operating properly. And then as we move forward, maybe we can increase slightly, but I think we’re looking at a total of 50 around the Indy 500.
“We would have obviously liked to be in the in the shop a bit earlier, but you know how it is with construction; you have to be patient. And we’d rather do it properly than just rush in. We want to build it out the way we planned it from the beginning, so that’s going great.”
What should Prema target in 2025?
Numerical targets shouldn’t be the focus of the PREMA outfit in 2025, with it being hard to put a number on how many points or top 10 finishes they should achieve.
Instead, they should aim for as much improvement as possible – to show clear development from one end of the season to the other.
They don’t have to hit the ground running straight away and compete for wins, but that will be their aim in a few years.
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McLaren are an example of what can be done by a racing team with good talent and leadership – they are now regular contenders.
The future is bright at PREMA, and the next aim for them will be to arrange a charter so they can secure their long-term future in the sport.