Israeli driver Robert Shwartzman won Indy 500 pole — then talked about the war
The rookie driver from Tel Aviv will start next Sunday’s race in pole position
Robert Shwartzman’s #83 Chevrolet earlier this year. Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images
By Louis Keene May 18, 2025
As the first Israeli driver at the Indy 500, Robert Shwartzman had already made racing history when he started his engine for Sunday’s time trials. Four laps later, he’d made history again, as the first rookie in 42 years to win pole in the hallowed race’s preliminary round.
Then, at the pinnacle of his young sports career, Shwartzman — who was born in Tel Aviv but grew up in Russia and Italy — got a question about representing Israel while the country was at war.
Still wearing the red track suit he won the race in, Shwartzman seemed to say he did not support the war, but that he hoped to do his best to represent the country well.
“Representing Israel, I just want to believe that for all the people, they realize that what is going on generally, I’m — let’s say — I’m not supporting it,” he said at the podium. “I just want peace in the world, I want people to be good, and I don’t want the separation of countries, saying this is bad country, this is good country. There is no bad or good, we’re all human beings.”
Shwartzman took his four solo laps around the oval Sunday at an average speed of 232 miles per hour, faster than any of the other 33 cars’ time trials.
The pole win — only the fourth ever by a rookie at the Indy 500 qualifiers — means Shwartzman, 25, will start the May 25 race at the front of the pack.
Judging by his reaction, he couldn’t quite believe it.
“I was closing my eyes, like this is a dream, it can’t be true,” he said afterward. “Honestly, I don’t know what even to say.”
ROBERT SHWARTZMAN.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 18, 2025
YOUR #Indy500 POLE WINNER! pic.twitter.com/gFAbC0g2FC
Shwartzman, who moved from Russia to Italy when he was 9, has competed under an Israeli racing license since the 2022 season, when he made the switch from Russia partly due to racing association sanctions on the country related to the war in Ukraine.
He has said that he has no plans to switch back, even if the sanctions are revoked.
“I knew, always, that I was born in Israel and that I have Jewish blood inside me… I never said I’m only this or only that,” Shwartzman said in February 2023. “[Switching to an Israeli license] just gave me a good feeling… It felt comfortable, like it was always there.”
At the time, he was a Formula driver, which like IndyCar features open-wheel, open-cockpit cars but competes on road courses. He switched to the world of ovals when his Formula team, Prema Racing, decided to break into the IndyCar series. Shwartzman’s pole win Sunday was also Prema’s first.
The question Shwartzman got about Israel annoyed some racing fans on social media, who called it disrespectful. “Let the guy have his moment,” one said. Another wrote: “First rookie to take pole in the 500 in like 4 decades and that’s what you wanna ask? Come on, man.”
But the question had hardly asked him to opine on the war. Instead, the reporter asked Shwartzman whether he felt like an ambassador “to bring positive headlines back to your home country.”
Video of entire question and answer from IndyCar driver Robert Shwartzman about representing Israel while the country is at war: https://t.co/5jJuK0RE2e pic.twitter.com/X1WTGbHjkb
— Louis Keene (@thislouis) May 19, 2025
Shwartzman’s answer also included his advice for getting to peace: “We need also to find ways to negotiate things, find ways to agree on things,” he said. “From my experience, there’s always a ‘gold middle,’ I’m calling it — like, it’s always the right path.”
If he takes the checkered flag next Sunday, Shwartzman would be the second Jewish driver to win the Indy 500. Auto Racing Hall of Famer Mauri Rose won it for the third time in 1948.
