Rookie Robert Shwartzman Wins Indy 500 Pole

Two rookies secured pole position for the 2025 Indy 500.

Robert Shwartzman and his Prema Racing team are both new to the IndyCar series this season, but that didn’t stop them from killing a few giants during qualifying on Sunday.

Shwartzman had the sixth fastest time on Saturday and finished third in the Top 12 round on Sunday with behind Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward.

He put down a 232.790 mph run in the Fast Six session to knock two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato off pole, then sat back and watched O’Ward and Rosenqvist fail to better his time.

Shwartzman made the move to IndyCar this year from the Formula One ladder and is competing in his first oval race at Indy.

“I was just like closing my eyes and was like, ‘this is a dream, it can’t be true,'” he said on Fox after winning pole. “Coming here for my first oval race, I never even expect myself to be in this position.”

Shwartzman is the first rookie to win pole for the Indy 500 since Teo Fabi in 1983.

Team Penske missed out on the Sunday action for two very different reasons. Last year’s pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin wrecked during practice and was unable to take part, while the cars of Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon failed tech and were pulled out of line before they were able to make runs. Newgarden and Dixon’s cars had issues with the way the crash-absorbing attenuators at the back of their cars were attached. The cars will start alongside each other on the fourth row in 10-12 positions.

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Jacob Abel wasn’t as fortunate as his fellow rookie, Shwartzman, and was bumped from the starting lineup with the slowest time in Last Chance qualifying. Marcus Armstrong, Marco Andretti and Rinus Veekay will make up the last row for the race.

The green flag for teh Indy 500 is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 25 and will be broadcast on Fox.

Here’s the full starting lineup for the Indy 500: