PREMA Racing made its NTT INDYCAR SERIES on-track debut Tuesday, Jan. 28 with Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman turning 104 combined laps in a six-car test at The Thermal Club road course.
Joining Ilott and Shwartzman in the test were Jacob Abel for Dale Coyne Racing and the three Andretti Global drivers, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson.
Ilott has 38 NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts, but for Shwartzman, this was his second experience driving INDYCAR SERIES machinery. He tested for Chip Ganassi Racing in January 2023 at Sebring International Raceway, but that was before the introduction of the hybrid unit last July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Shwartzman shined Tuesday, ending up third on the speed charts in his No. 83 Chevrolet, just .175 of a second behind leader Ericsson.
“A really fun car to drive,” Shwartzman said. “Really distinct. I like the fitting of it. Overall, it feels really, really positive.”
The goal Tuesday was for both drivers to gain comfort behind the wheel but also get PREMA up to speed as quickly as possible. The team didn’t compete at The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge exhibition race last year, and Tuesday was the first time the drivers strapped in and their cars’ Firestone Firehawk tires squealed out of a pit lane on any track.
With the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 2 (noon ET, FOX, INDYCAR Radio Network) approaching soon, both drivers had to make every lap around the 3.067-mile, 17-turn circuit.
That could have been a challenging assignment for Shwartzman since he had one day in an INDYCAR SERIES car before Tuesday. His background is FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2 for PREMA and sports car racing the last few years, in addition to his role as a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One.
Shwartzman aced the Thermal test, completing 54 laps.
“It’s like a faster version of the F2 car, and it feels lighter,” he said. “I would say it’s between an F2 and F1 is where the car is giving me the feeling. Last year, I’ve done GT and hybrid cars, and those cars are way more heavier. So, when I come back here, I really enjoy it. I enjoy the formula, the aero balance, the general light car to drive, so it’s really, really fun.”
Shwartzman’s goal was to learn and get a general feeling of the car’s behavior and limits. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is one of the most tightly contested fields in motorsports. If a driver is too conservative, they will live in the back of the pack. If a driver is overly aggressive, trouble could spark at any moment.
Extracting the right balance is the difference maker, so Shwartzman used the test to be as prepared as possible.
“Everything here is new to me,” he said. “First time properly driving an INDYCAR SERIES car with my old team that I’ve been racing with. Everything is exciting. It’s obviously a big challenge.
“It’s not easy because everything is fairly new. Everything isn’t going to go the way we want them to go, but overall, I’m very excited for the season to start. I want to believe that we can do a good job overall and just to have the progression. The beginning is going to be the toughest, but I just want to improve.”