Formula 1 dreams on hold, Robert Shwartzman journey now includes Indy 500 pole

INDIANAPOLIS — Robert Shwartzman can look at the first five weeks of his INDYCAR career and shake his head.

At one point, he missed practice time because his radio didn’t work. At another race, his car caught fire and had to be rebuilt. He missed other practice sessions with mechanical gremlins. He couldn’t catch a break. 

Unbelievable.

Even if the team did everything right, to think he could do the unimaginable and win the Indianapolis 500 pole? The more likely scenario was that he'd be on the bubble to even make the race as a rookie with no oval experience driving for a Prema Racing team that joined INDYCAR this year. 

"We had a difficult first five weekends with a lot of problems. The car went on fire. There were three times that I missed practice for different reasons," Shwartzman said. "Coming here, I was like, ‘Just take it easy, guys. We have enough time to get in the car, just not rush things.’"

The journey of the 25-year-old Shwartzman has been one where he is used to things not necessarily going as planned, both good and bad. His story will get more eventful on Sunday when he leads the field to green for the Indianapolis 500. It’s not just his first Indy 500, it’s his first race on an oval in any form.

From the time Shwartzman made his first U.S. appearance when Prema Racing did a livery launch in January in Charlotte, questions have followed about how he would adapt. A former Formula 3 champion who owns several Formula 2 wins driving for Prema, he has had a frustrating last few years as a Formula 1 reserve driver for Ferrari and Sauber.

He was born in Israel but spent several years in Russia. And his Russian roots potentially hindered his ability to get an F1 ride, despite many lauding his talent.

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