Israeli rookie shocks racing world with pole win at Indy 500 qualifiers

An Israeli driver will have pole position at the Indianapolis 500 next week after 25-year-old Robert Shwartzman wins qualifiers at the premier IndyCar race, marking the first time an Israeli driver will run circles at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Shwartzman, who was born in Tel Aviv and raised in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is mobbed by fans as his pole-winning run becomes official. The dual citizen initially raced under the Russian flag until the start of the war with Ukraine and now races under the Israeli flag.

One of the biggest upsets in Motorsports history just happen in Indianapolis!!! Rookie Robert Schwartzman, who had never made a single oval race start at any level, just qualified on pole for the #Indy500 with first year team Prema Racing!!!!! pic.twitter.com/s1NBvfOZIR

— TDT Media (@ThirdDownThurs) May 18, 2025

“I just want peace in the world,” Shwartzman says. “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, and we just have to support each other. We need to find ways to, let’s say, negotiate things. Find ways to agree on things, you know? Because from my experience, there is always, you know, a gold medal, I’m calling it — like, there’s always the right path.”

He’d never raced on an oval before arriving at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where speeds can reach up to 240 mph on the straightaways, and he was considered an afterthought to qualify anywhere near the front of the prestigious Indy 500. Instead, his four-lap average of 232.790 mph beats out a host of open-wheel racing’s biggest stars to earn the first spot on the starting grid for the May 25 race.

Robert Shwartzman! What a run by the rookie. #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/WY1hysycns

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 18, 2025

Schwartzman says he was surprised by the raucous cheer he received upon winning the pole — and really, the reception he has had among American racing fans throughout the month — noting that Europeans had no love for his Israeli roots.

“Here, I feel really good with the fans. In my couple years in Europe, it was a bit more tense for me, I have to admit,” Shwartzman says. “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.”

Perhaps those experiences were one of the reasons why Shwartzman was so vocal in asking for peace on Sunday.

“I really hope that at the end of the day, everything’s going to be good in the world. It’s going to be all calm,” he says. “From my side, I try to just, you know, represent my country and do my best, let people know that I’m here and that I’m giving it all.”