Robert Shwartzman: Indy’s Newest Overnight Sensation
(Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment)
By Dennis Krause
Indy 500 pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman isn’t the first driver to have his Formula One dreams derailed only to find success in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. That list includes 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi and three-time series champion Alex Palou, among others.
A champion in Formula 3, a multi-race winner in Formula 2 with PREMA Racing, his current team in INDYCAR, Shwartzman was on track as a reserve driver for the Ferrari and Sauber F1 teams. He didn’t have a clue about INDYCAR until watching the Indy 500 from a yacht in Monaco harbor.
“My first memory was when I was in Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco, I was just as a kid, let's say, just watching the Formula 1 race, and at the same time it was going the Indy 500 race. So there was my friends and sponsors, and they invited me to a yacht, like the part of Monaco. I was just sitting there. It was no Formula 1 running. It was actually after the race of Formula 1. Normally Monaco is quite boring, as we know. There is not many possibilities of overtaking. It's more quallie race for me.
“Then we were just sitting there, and on the TV there was Indy 500 race running there. Honestly I was just looking. It was so much more exciting. I was just, like, Damn, until last turn you don't know who is going to win. I was being like, Okay, this guy is fast, he's going to win, and then all of a sudden, no, he's getting overtaken and then another guy and another guy. The rotation is always changing.
“That was the first memory, Damn, this is amazing. This is proper battle. Then I obviously start hearing a lot of things about Indy that it's another way from Formula 1. Let's say if you don't go to Formula 1, the best thing is to go to INDYCAR. Yeah, here we are.
“It happened so that unfortunately I haven't been given a chance to go to F1 even though I really tried my best. I know it's, like, Okay, if that's not the way to go, I'll try here in Indy, and here we are. I think it's a good place to be in. I really like it. I really enjoy it.
“It's first experience on ovals. That was just something unbelievable. Especially going 240 miles an hour, which is like 385 kilometers an hour. It's just a new experience. I've never driven so fast a car.
“Now sitting here being in pole position is just, again, just a wow.”
(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
The last rookie to win the pole for the Indianapolis 500 was Teo Fabi, of Italy, in 1983. 83 also happens to be Shwartzman’s car number, which he thinks is a cool coincidence.
“That's actually a good one. That's something symbolic. I didn't even know that. I want to believe that it's definitely a big thing. Some people believe in this numbers thing. Some people don't.
“I find it kind of cool from my side. I didn't expect myself to be here, honestly. I raced with the same number actually last year in WEC, and unfortunately, we didn't manage to win Le Mans. We were really fast. We led most of the race. At that stage I was, like, well, you know, Le Mans was so close, but we didn't get it.
“Then when I came to Indy and I took the same number, I'm, like, I have to bring this number up. I have to do it. I have to push it up that people will sigh this number.
“It's the second year with this number, and the fact that the last rookie was in '83, that means it's a good coincidence.”
(Photo by Julien Delfosse/DPPI))
Sunday’s 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 won’t be the longest race Shwartzman has been in. He spent last season in the FIA World Endurance Championship driving for Ferrari in the Hypercar class. Shwartzman believes having that kind of experience will be valuable to him come race day at Indy.
“Yeah, for sure. When I was doing Le Mans overall I've driven a bit more than eight hours. You don't sleep. In that way when the races are so long, you get sort of this knowledge and ability of being just calm.
“You sort of put yourself in autopilot. Just be smooth, take things under control, but you don't overpush yourself because you can go for so long at your max effort. You have to balance well your energy.
“I think in that way endurance racing helped me to get this knowledge, to get this feeling and understanding how to approach races like that. Obviously, in a week's time it's going to be a new thing for me. So definitely it's going to be difficult because it's not only long race, but it's like it's my first oval race starting from pole, so there is a lot of things going on.
“Again, I just try to use that knowledge to just be calm and as I said, take it easy without rushing things up. Yeah, hopefully we're going to have a good, strong, fast, competitive car. Who knows? Maybe in the last laps I'm going to be there battling not only for pole position like for today but also for a race win.”
(Photo by Tim Holle/Penske Entertainment)
As he coasted to a stop in the pits after winning the pole on Sunday, Shwartzman received a thunderous ovation from the crowd. In some ways, Shwartzman, a native of Tel Aviv, Israel, feels like he’s an ambassador, of sorts, hoping to bring good headlines to, and about, his home country.
“Yeah, representing Israel, I just want to believe that for all the people they realize that what is going on generally. Let's say, I'm not supporting it. I just want peace in the world. I want people to be good, and I don't want the separation of countries saying this is bad country, this is good country. There is no bad or good. We're all human beings. We just have to support each other and respect each other. That's as well.
“We need it also find ways to, let's say, negotiate things, find ways to agree on things because from my experience, there is always a gold medal, I'm calling it. There's always the right path.
“Yeah, I really hope that at the end of the day everything is going to be good in the world, it's going to be all calm. From my side, I try to just represent my country and do my best, let people know that I'm here, and that I'm giving it all. I'm not giving up with whatever I have in my career, in my past. I not giving up, and I won't give up. So I keep pushing, so people just have that belief, keep going forward, and yeah, just look forward. Never look back.”
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
While it has not always been the case in his racing career, Shwartzman says he’s been treated well by INDYCAR race fans.
“Honestly, really well. That's the thing that I want to bring up to generally the whole world. I think here in U.S. people are way less judgeful, let's say. I have never felt that anybody would judge from where I come from. They just judge what you do, which is fair. If you do good things, they will judge you as a good man. If you do bad things, you're a bad man. That's how it's supposed to be.
“There is no, let's say, this separation of, like, oh, okay, you come from this country, it's in a worse state, they're bad, you're bad as well, and saying bad things.
“Here, again, the fans are super supportive. They're really nice. I never felt -- like here I feel really good with the fans.
“Let's say in a couple of years in Europe it was a bit more tense for me. I have to admit. It was difficult moments. Most of the people that were in that environment, they understand, and they supported me, but there were also some people that were going against me.
“It's been a very tough moment in my life where I was just, like, I haven't done anything bad. I didn't support anything. I generally just support my people from my country, but generally all the people with respect, and there were just some people saying bad things just because where I was born.”
Shwartzman can’t remember ever hearing a crowd cheer as loudly as they did for Indy’s newest overnight sensation after he won the pole.
“I don't remember. It's been really, really long time since I raced like this. I've been in an environment like this for me. Crowd is amazing here. Honestly, it's been since like the moment I felt like we were fast and people start noticing us that we were actually not too bad, we're pretty competitive, it started picking up this level of people just, like, you know, cheering, cheering, cheering.
“Yeah, honestly, at the end now when we took the pole, it's unbelievable, the roar, how loud it is. I mean, it's been a long time since I heard that.”
Imagine the roar of the crowd if Shwartzman is able to pull off the unthinkable on Sunday at Indy.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.