Prema Racing is a team that is likely unfamiliar to US-only race fans. They arrived to the IndyCar grid ahead of the 2025 season with a two-car effort and no charters. And yet, they are now on pole position for the biggest oval race on the entire planet.

So who exactly is the team behind rookie Indy 500 polesitter Robert Shwartzman? Well, they may be new to ovals but they are no strangers to open-wheel racing.

A legendary team in junior categories 

Dennis Hauger, Prema Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Before we really get into it, let’s just put their achievements into perspective for the uninitiated: Prema has over 40 driver championships, and just as many team championships, after competing in 30+ racing divisions since 1983. Over one-fourth of the current Formula 1 grid have won titles with Prema, including Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.

Just looking at this year’s Indy 500 starters, three of them have been crowned with Prema in the past (Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Armstrong and Shwartzman). Current Indy NXT points leader Dennis Hauger also won the 2021 F3 title with Prema, and the career paths of many other drivers have intersected with the rich history of this team. Two of the three drivers from last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans winning driver lineup have raced for Prema in the past, and Antonio Fuoco earned his first notable single-seater title with them.

For you NASCAR fans out there, it’s a bit like TRD and their driver development program, or for you IndyCar fans, they’re basically a much older version of HMD Motorsports.

So yeah, they’re everywhere. Prema is an Italian team that has been in operation since 1983, and as you can see by the overview above, they’ve made quite the name for themselves in Europe and around the world through various junior categories.

Prema first appeared in Italian F3, but it wasn’t long before they branched out into other divisions. And it was in Italian F3 where they earned their first significant triumph, winning the 1990 championship with Roberto Colciago behind the wheel.

Collecting trophies and building names

Polesitter Charles Leclerc, PREMA Racing, second place Antonio Fuoco, PREMA Racing

Photo by: FIA Formula 2

But as the world crossed into the 21st century, that’s when they truly began excelling as an organization. As the new millennium got under way, they started to pick up several regional crowns, snagging titles in both the Eurocup and Italian Formula Renault divisions.

Ryan Briscoe was one of their early champions and he currently works as a consultant for the team as they embark on their first Indy 500. Briscoe, a successful IndyCar driver who is well-known by most US racing fans, earned Prema the inaugural Formula 3 Euro Series championship in 2003.

Kamui Kobayashi, an ex-F1 driver and sports car racing legend with overall wins in both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans, earned his first major championship while driving for Prema.

And as Prema became more accustomed to the top step of the podium, they expanded their efforts into countless other junior divisions across Europe and even beyond. When the 2010s arrived, it became difficult to keep up with all of their successes. In the first half of the decade alone, they captured ten drivers’ titles in five different series. They won every single Formula 3 European team championship between 2013 and 2018, and as previously noted, they helped launch the careers of several future Formula 1 drivers.

Success in F2 and F3

Oliver Bearman, PREMA Racing

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images

And yes, their success includes the direct feeder divisions for F1. They won three consecutive F3 drivers’ titles between 2019 and 2021, and each of those drivers are doing quite well for themselves, these days. There’s Piastri, who currently leads the F1 world championship, Hauger, who leads the Indy NXT standings, and Shwartzman, who just became the first rookie to earn pole position for the Indianapolis 500 in 42 years. Oh, and they’ve also won the F3 team championship in four of the last six years.

They have earned three drivers’ titles in Formula 2 as well, coming in 2017 with Leclerc, 2020 with Mick Schumacher, and 2021 with Piastri. There was even a GP2 (F2’s previous name) title with future F1 grand prix winner Pierre Gasly. Even a relatively new series like F1 Academy cannot escape Prema, which has won the team championship there in both 2023 and 2024.

Macau, Le Mans, and now IndyCar

#9 Prema Orlen Team Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 of Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz, Lorenzo Colombo

Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt

Although we’re mainly focusing on championships, it’s also worth mentioning that they know how to win the Macau Grand Prix as well, which is basically the Super Bowl of junior formula racing. Their drivers won that iconic event in 2011, 2013 and 2015. While several other entrants have reached three wins, only two organizations have ever won more than that.

And while they’ve competed in at least two dozen ongoing or defunct junior single-seater divisions, they also went and formed an endurance racing division. They earned the 2022 European Le Mans Series title in LMP2, while also securing a runner-up finish in that class at the Le Mans 24 during that same year.

And in case it wasn’t clear, no, they never attempted an oval race before the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

This is entirely new for both Shwartzman and Prema Racing. In the first five races of the year, they had no starts higher than 16th, and no finishes higher than 18th when looking at both Shwartzman and his teammate Callum Ilott.

This Indy 500 pole feels like it came out of nowhere, and while it kind of did, we’re not dealing with true rookies here. It also helps when you have Eric Leichtle, a SpaceX engineer with previous experience at Team Penske, working with your organization.

While still quite the upset, Prema has been in this racing business for a long time, and they certainly know how to show up unannounced in a new series and immediately shake up the status quo. 

The four-race challenge will pit the five Ford drivers against each other, beginning with the event at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday, May 24. The contest also includes races at Nashville Superspeedway (May 31), Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City (June 14) and Pocono Raceway (June 21).

Throughout these events, Ford’s Xfinity Series drivers will compete in a points-based internal tournament using the standard NASCAR scoring system, including stage points. However, if a Ford driver wins, their total points from that event will be doubled.

The greatest Sunday in racing is upon us.

Breakfast in Monaco, lunch in Indianapolis and dinner in Charlotte — that’s the schedule for motorsports fans on a busy Memorial Day Weekend of action.

It starts with Formula One’s most iconic event, with the glitz and glam of the Monaco Grand Prix. Then, it’s the Indy 500 — the greatest spectacle in racing — as 33 IndyCar drivers look to make history. Finally, NASCAR drivers wrap things up with the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte — a true test of man and machine in a 600-mile marathon.

Here’s a preview for the three races, including TV schedules, start times, picks and more:

What is the F1 schedule for Monaco?

There will be three free practices and a qualifying session before the race in Monaco. Here’s the schedule:

Friday, May 23

Saturday, May 24

• Free practice 3: 5:30 a.m. CT
• Qualifying: 9 a.m. CT

Sunday, May 25

• Monaco Grand Prix: 8 a.m. CT

What is the Indy 500 schedule?

There’s been plenty of action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway already in the month of May, from practice sessions to qualifying. The starting lineup was set last weekend, and there’s just one more practice before the race on Sunday. Here’s the remaining schedule for the 2025 Indy 500:

Friday, May 23

• Carb Day final practice: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT

Sunday, May 25

• 109th running of the Indianapolis 500: 11:45 a.m. CT

What is the NASCAR schedule for Charlotte?

The action wraps up in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the Coca-Cola 600 — NASCAR’s longest race by mileage. There will be practice and qualifying before Sunday’s main event. Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, May 24

• Practice and qualifying: 12:35 p.m. CT

Sunday, May 25

How to watch F1, Indy 500 and NASCAR this weekend

Three different broadcasters will handle the three different series: ESPN/ABC, FOX and Amazon Prime Video.

Formula One will air on ESPN’s networks: Free practice 1 and 3 on ESPN2, free practice 2 on ESPNU, qualifying on ESPN and the race on ABC. F1 action can also be streamed on ESPN+.

The Indy 500 will be on FOX this year, and you can watch Carb Day final practice Friday on Fox Sports 1.

NASCAR is switching to streaming this week for the first time ever, with Amazon Prime Video airing practice, qualifying and the Coke 600.

Picks and predictions for F1 in Monaco

The top three championship contenders are once again the favorites for Monaco — Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

Piastri has won four of the first seven races, while Norris has won once and Verstappen twice. The McLaren duo of Piastri and Norris have been the most consistent from week-to-week, but the reigning four-time champion Verstappen has pulled off some magical qualifying runs so far.

Qualifying is critical on the streets of Monaco, which offer few opportunities to overtake. Oftentimes, the place where you start is the place where you finish. That could favor Verstappen, who always has elite one-lap pace.

If you’re looking for a sleeper, keep an eye on George Russell. The Mercedes driver is fourth in the standings with four podium finishes this season, and he’s yet to start worse than fifth in a race. He’s one of the best qualifiers on the grid, which would play into his favor in Monaco.

Podium predictions: Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, George Russell

Here’s everything you need to know about F1 – races, teams, cars, circuits and more.

Picks and predictions for the Indy 500

Heading into the Indy 500, you always have to keep an eye on Team Penske. That’s true again in 2025, but for the wrong reasons.

Two-time defending Indy winner Josef Newgarden and 2018 winner Will Power will start at the rear after their cars were found to be illegal after qualifying. Then, Penske fired its top three executives just days before the race. Scott McLaughlin is the only Penske driver not impacted, but the organization is clearly in disarray.

That leaves McLaren’s Pato O’Ward as the favorite for Sunday following his second-place finish last May. The 26-year-old Mexican has finished top-6 in four of his five Indy starts, with two runner-ups. He’ll start third this year with plenty of cushion ahead of the powerful Penske duo.

Three-time IndyCar champion Álex Palou joins O’Ward among the top contenders, though he’s never won on an oval track. Palou has four straight top-10s at Indy, including a second-place in 2021. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver will star sixth on Sunday. His teammate, 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon, has also shown speed and finished third last year.

Another driver to consider is NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, who will make his second straight Indy 500 start before flying down to Charlotte for the Coke 600. He was unable to compete in both races last year due to a rain delay in Indy, but this year he’ll look to complete all 1,100 miles. Larson finished 18th last year and he’ll start 19th on Sunday.

Podium predictions: Pato O’Ward, Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin

Why does the Indy 500 champion celebrate with a drink of milk in victory lane? Here is the story behind this iconic tradition and the Indiana dairy farmers, who play an integral part on race day.

Picks and predictions for NASCAR’s Coke 600

If you want to pick Larson, he’s a much safer pick for NASCAR, the series where he regularly competes. The 2021 Coke 600 winner did not race last year due to the aforementioned weather in Indy, but he’s still the favorite for 2025. He’ll be out to prove a point if he makes it in time this year.

Aside from Larson, several former champions should be in the mix Sunday night — Blaney, Logano and Elliott.

Blaney is still winless in 2025 but is coming off back-to-back third-places finishes to ride some positive momentum. He won the Coke 600 in 2023 in dominant fashion, leading 163 of the 400 laps.

Logano, who is Blaney’s teammate for Team Penske, has won two of the last three championships. While he’s won three titles, Logano has a noticeable lack of crown jewel victories. The Connecticut native won recently at Texas and could carry that 1.5-mile speed into Charlotte.

Then there’s Elliott, who is Larson’s teammate for Hendrick Motorsports. He was one lap away from winning the 2020 Coke 600, and he’s coming off his most impressive race of the season at Kansas. Elliott could finally have his breakout run on Sunday.

Podium predictions: Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.

The greatest Sunday in racing is upon us.

Breakfast in Monaco, lunch in Indianapolis and dinner in Charlotte — that’s the schedule for motorsports fans on a busy Memorial Day Weekend of action.

It starts with Formula One’s most iconic event, with the glitz and glam of the Monaco Grand Prix. Then, it’s the Indy 500 — the greatest spectacle in racing — as 33 IndyCar drivers look to make history. Finally, NASCAR drivers wrap things up with the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte — a true test of man and machine in a 600-mile marathon.

Here’s a preview for the three races, including TV schedules, start times, picks and more:

What is the F1 schedule for Monaco?

There will be three free practices and a qualifying session before the race in Monaco. Here’s the schedule:

Friday, May 23

• Free practice 1: 7:30 a.m. ET
• Free practice 2: 11 a.m. ET

Saturday, May 24

• Free practice 3: 6:30 a.m. ET
• Qualifying: 10 a.m. ET

Sunday, May 25

• Monaco Grand Prix: 9 a.m. ET

What is the Indy 500 schedule?

There’s been plenty of action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway already in the month of May, from practice sessions to qualifying. The starting lineup was set last weekend, and there’s just one more practice before the race on Sunday. Here’s the remaining schedule for the 2025 Indy 500:

Friday, May 23

• Carb Day final practice: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 25

• 109th running of the Indianapolis 500: 12:45 p.m. ET

What is the NASCAR schedule for Charlotte?

The action wraps up in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the Coca-Cola 600 — NASCAR’s longest race by mileage. There will be practice and qualifying before Sunday’s main event. Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, May 24

• Practice and qualifying: 1:35 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 25

How to watch F1, Indy 500 and NASCAR this weekend

Three different broadcasters will handle the three different series: ESPN/ABC, FOX and Amazon Prime Video.

Formula One will air on ESPN’s networks: Free practice 1 and 3 on ESPN2, free practice 2 on ESPNU, qualifying on ESPN and the race on ABC. F1 action can also be streamed on ESPN+.

The Indy 500 will be on FOX this year, and you can watch Carb Day final practice Friday on Fox Sports 1.

NASCAR is switching to streaming this week for the first time ever, with Amazon Prime Video airing practice, qualifying and the Coke 600.

Picks and predictions for F1 in Monaco

The top three championship contenders are once again the favorites for Monaco — Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

Piastri has won four of the first seven races, while Norris has won once and Verstappen twice. The McLaren duo of Piastri and Norris have been the most consistent from week-to-week, but the reigning four-time champion Verstappen has pulled off some magical qualifying runs so far.

Qualifying is critical on the streets of Monaco, which offer few opportunities to overtake. Oftentimes, the place where you start is the place where you finish. That could favor Verstappen, who always has elite one-lap pace.

If you’re looking for a sleeper, keep an eye on George Russell. The Mercedes driver is fourth in the standings with four podium finishes this season, and he’s yet to start worse than fifth in a race. He’s one of the best qualifiers on the grid, which would play into his favor in Monaco.

Podium predictions: Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, George Russell

Here’s everything you need to know about F1 – races, teams, cars, circuits and more.

Picks and predictions for the Indy 500

Heading into the Indy 500, you always have to keep an eye on Team Penske. That’s true again in 2025, but for the wrong reasons.

Two-time defending Indy winner Josef Newgarden and 2018 winner Will Power will start at the rear after their cars were found to be illegal after qualifying. Then, Penske fired its top three executives just days before the race. Scott McLaughlin is the only Penske driver not impacted, but the organization is clearly in disarray.

That leaves McLaren’s Pato O’Ward as the favorite for Sunday following his second-place finish last May. The 26-year-old Mexican has finished top-6 in four of his five Indy starts, with two runner-ups. He’ll start third this year with plenty of cushion ahead of the powerful Penske duo.

Three-time IndyCar champion Álex Palou joins O’Ward among the top contenders, though he’s never won on an oval track. Palou has four straight top-10s at Indy, including a second-place in 2021. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver will star sixth on Sunday. His teammate, 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon, has also shown speed and finished third last year.

Another driver to consider is NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, who will make his second straight Indy 500 start before flying down to Charlotte for the Coke 600. He was unable to compete in both races last year due to a rain delay in Indy, but this year he’ll look to complete all 1,100 miles. Larson finished 18th last year and he’ll start 19th on Sunday.

Podium predictions: Pato O’Ward, Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin

Why does the Indy 500 champion celebrate with a drink of milk in victory lane? Here is the story behind this iconic tradition and the Indiana dairy farmers, who play an integral part on race day.

Picks and predictions for NASCAR’s Coke 600

If you want to pick Larson, he’s a much safer pick for NASCAR, the series where he regularly competes. The 2021 Coke 600 winner did not race last year due to the aforementioned weather in Indy, but he’s still the favorite for 2025. He’ll be out to prove a point if he makes it in time this year.

Aside from Larson, several former champions should be in the mix Sunday night — Blaney, Logano and Elliott.

Blaney is still winless in 2025 but is coming off back-to-back third-places finishes to ride some positive momentum. He won the Coke 600 in 2023 in dominant fashion, leading 163 of the 400 laps.

Logano, who is Blaney’s teammate for Team Penske, has won two of the last three championships. While he’s won three titles, Logano has a noticeable lack of crown jewel victories. The Connecticut native won recently at Texas and could carry that 1.5-mile speed into Charlotte.

Then there’s Elliott, who is Larson’s teammate for Hendrick Motorsports. He was one lap away from winning the 2020 Coke 600, and he’s coming off his most impressive race of the season at Kansas. Elliott could finally have his breakout run on Sunday.

Podium predictions: Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.

The greatest Sunday in racing is upon us.

Breakfast in Monaco, lunch in Indianapolis and dinner in Charlotte — that’s the schedule for motorsports fans on a busy Memorial Day Weekend of action.

It starts with Formula One’s most iconic event, with the glitz and glam of the Monaco Grand Prix. Then, it’s the Indy 500 — the greatest spectacle in racing — as 33 IndyCar drivers look to make history. Finally, NASCAR drivers wrap things up with the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte — a true test of man and machine in a 600-mile marathon.

Here’s a preview for the three races, including TV schedules, start times, picks and more:

What is the F1 schedule for Monaco?

There will be three free practices and a qualifying session before the race in Monaco. Here’s the schedule:

Friday, May 23

• Free practice 1: 4:30 a.m. PT
• Free practice 2: 8 a.m. PT

Saturday, May 24

• Free practice 3: 3:30 a.m. PT
• Qualifying: 7 a.m. PT

Sunday, May 25

• Monaco Grand Prix: 6 a.m. PT

What is the Indy 500 schedule?

There’s been plenty of action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway already in the month of May, from practice sessions to qualifying. The starting lineup was set last weekend, and there’s just one more practice before the race on Sunday. Here’s the remaining schedule for the 2025 Indy 500:

Friday, May 23

• Carb Day final practice: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. PT

Sunday, May 25

• 109th running of the Indianapolis 500: 9:45 a.m. PT

What is the NASCAR schedule for Charlotte?

The action wraps up in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the Coca-Cola 600 — NASCAR’s longest race by mileage. There will be practice and qualifying before Sunday’s main event. Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, May 24

• Practice and qualifying: 10:35 a.m. PT

Sunday, May 25

How to watch F1, Indy 500 and NASCAR this weekend

Three different broadcasters will handle the three different series: ESPN/ABC, FOX and Amazon Prime Video.

Formula One will air on ESPN’s networks: Free practice 1 and 3 on ESPN2, free practice 2 on ESPNU, qualifying on ESPN and the race on ABC. F1 action can also be streamed on ESPN+.

The Indy 500 will be on FOX this year, and you can watch Carb Day final practice Friday on Fox Sports 1.

NASCAR is switching to streaming this week for the first time ever, with Amazon Prime Video airing practice, qualifying and the Coke 600.

Picks and predictions for F1 in Monaco

The top three championship contenders are once again the favorites for Monaco — Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

Piastri has won four of the first seven races, while Norris has won once and Verstappen twice. The McLaren duo of Piastri and Norris have been the most consistent from week-to-week, but the reigning four-time champion Verstappen has pulled off some magical qualifying runs so far.

Qualifying is critical on the streets of Monaco, which offer few opportunities to overtake. Oftentimes, the place where you start is the place where you finish. That could favor Verstappen, who always has elite one-lap pace.

If you’re looking for a sleeper, keep an eye on George Russell. The Mercedes driver is fourth in the standings with four podium finishes this season, and he’s yet to start worse than fifth in a race. He’s one of the best qualifiers on the grid, which would play into his favor in Monaco.

Podium predictions: Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, George Russell

Here’s everything you need to know about F1 – races, teams, cars, circuits and more.

Picks and predictions for the Indy 500

Heading into the Indy 500, you always have to keep an eye on Team Penske. That’s true again in 2025, but for the wrong reasons.

Two-time defending Indy winner Josef Newgarden and 2018 winner Will Power will start at the rear after their cars were found to be illegal after qualifying. Then, Penske fired its top three executives just days before the race. Scott McLaughlin is the only Penske driver not impacted, but the organization is clearly in disarray.

That leaves McLaren’s Pato O’Ward as the favorite for Sunday following his second-place finish last May. The 26-year-old Mexican has finished top-6 in four of his five Indy starts, with two runner-ups. He’ll start third this year with plenty of cushion ahead of the powerful Penske duo.

Three-time IndyCar champion Álex Palou joins O’Ward among the top contenders, though he’s never won on an oval track. Palou has four straight top-10s at Indy, including a second-place in 2021. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver will star sixth on Sunday. His teammate, 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon, has also shown speed and finished third last year.

Another driver to consider is NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, who will make his second straight Indy 500 start before flying down to Charlotte for the Coke 600. He was unable to compete in both races last year due to a rain delay in Indy, but this year he’ll look to complete all 1,100 miles. Larson finished 18th last year and he’ll start 19th on Sunday.

Podium predictions: Pato O’Ward, Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin

Why does the Indy 500 champion celebrate with a drink of milk in victory lane? Here is the story behind this iconic tradition and the Indiana dairy farmers, who play an integral part on race day.

Picks and predictions for NASCAR’s Coke 600

If you want to pick Larson, he’s a much safer pick for NASCAR, the series where he regularly competes. The 2021 Coke 600 winner did not race last year due to the aforementioned weather in Indy, but he’s still the favorite for 2025. He’ll be out to prove a point if he makes it in time this year.

Aside from Larson, several former champions should be in the mix Sunday night — Blaney, Logano and Elliott.

Blaney is still winless in 2025 but is coming off back-to-back third-places finishes to ride some positive momentum. He won the Coke 600 in 2023 in dominant fashion, leading 163 of the 400 laps.

Logano, who is Blaney’s teammate for Team Penske, has won two of the last three championships. While he’s won three titles, Logano has a noticeable lack of crown jewel victories. The Connecticut native won recently at Texas and could carry that 1.5-mile speed into Charlotte.

Then there’s Elliott, who is Larson’s teammate for Hendrick Motorsports. He was one lap away from winning the 2020 Coke 600, and he’s coming off his most impressive race of the season at Kansas. Elliott could finally have his breakout run on Sunday.

Podium predictions: Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.