Indy 500 underway, with first-ever Israeli in US race leading the pack

The Indianapolis 500, America’s most high-profile open-wheel race, is underway after a rain delay, with Israeli rookie Robert Shwartzman leading the pack of 33 drivers, as the green starting flag drops.

Shwartzman, 25, is the first Israeli ever in the premier IndyCar race’s 109-year history, and only the third rookie ever to make pole. A small Israeli flag sits on the side of his Italian-themed car’s cockpit.

The Tel Aviv-born driver, who grew up in Russia but switched to racing under an Israeli flag following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, shocked the racing world by taking pole position for Italy’s Team Prema during qualifiers last week, despite having never raced on an oval track.

The 200-lap contest is taking place in front of the first sold-out crowd at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since 2016. Despite sitting pole, the Israeli is far from the favorite, with oddsmakers placing several racers ahead of him.

“I don’t want to put much expectation on my side,” Shwartzman told Motorsport.com last week. “It’s my first-ever oval [race], so I don’t know exactly how to defend and overtake. I’ll have to learn it through [the week].”

Though Shwartzman and Prema are mostly unknown in the US, in Europe the team has a reputation as a top contender. After winning the Indy qualifiers, Shwartzman, who began racing in the US after failing to find a place in the Formula One circuit, mentioned preferring the adulation of American crowds to Europeans, who he said were sometimes unhappy with his origins.

“Here, I feel really good with the fans,” he said then. “In my couple years in Europe, it was a bit more tense for me, I have to admit,” he said. “Some fans supported me, but some were against me. There were very tough moments in my life where I didn’t do anything bad. I didn’t support anything. I generally support people from my country, but all people with respect, and some people were saying bad things just because of where I was born.”