Debutant Shwartzman takes stunning pole position at the Indy500

The former Ferrari reserve driver left the Scuderia after the 2024 season to pursue the chance to take on the American single-seater racing class, joining former F2 driver Callum Ilott at the new Prema IndyCar team.

Shwartzman is participating in the Indy500 for the first time this year, and through securing the first starting spot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he becomes the first rookie to do so since 1983 when Italian Teo Fabi achieved it.

The Russian-Israeli driver shocked many with his pace to make it into the top 12 drivers for Sunday's qualifying session at Indianapolis, with those drivers taking to the track to finalise their grid positions.

Shwartzman did enough to make it into the final session, with the 12 drivers whittled down to the six fastest. He then set the track alight and was able to shock everyone by taking pole in what was a stunning session.

The former Ferrari man will have his work cut out to hold onto his pole position next weekend, with many world-class drivers taking to the Indy500.

Behind him starts Takuma Sato, with the Japanese driver winning the Indy500 twice before in 2017 and 2020. Next is Pato O’Ward, who has never won the Indy500, but the Mexican has been a runner-up twice, including last year.

All eyes will also be on Alex Palou. The Spaniard will start in sixth position, but he currently leads the IndyCar championship with a lead of nearly a hundred points over Kyle Kirkwood in second, with Palou winning the first four of the five IndyCar races held this season.