Prema, Shwartzman to speed quickly

Ok, let’s get this out of the way: Prema Racing is not playing.

The team that has dominated the European Junior Formula races is entering the NTT series Indycar for the first time this season, and could be one of the most auspicious debut in recent memory, if it results from a private test on January 28 together with Andretti Global and Dale Coyne Racing in The Thermal Club are an indication.

While times and speeds are not officially released from private tests, several media and social media reports have given the opportunity to try to make some detailed deductions:

Prema in pace

There is always curiosity when a team joins the NTT series Indycar from other series. Some, such as Meyer Shank Racing, have become Indycar winners. Others, such as the European domain of a single Carlin seat, arrived with a splash and finally went without success.

Prema seems to have entered the task this season, even despite the rapid and unexpected departure of the experienced magician Michael Cannon as Chief of Engineering this month before the season began.

Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global led the test, with his teammate Kyle Kirkwood less than a tenth of second behind. But the big surprise was the rookie Robert Shwartzman, a champion of the FIA ​​Formula 3 with PREM The NTT Indycar series since he tried it with ChipEsei Racing in January 2023.

Shwartzman was a third in general among the six driver tests, alone .175 of a second behind Ericsson’s best return.

While it could be an exaggeration to see Shwartzman win the pole in his debut in the series as Robert Wickens did in 2018 in St. Petersburg, the Israeli-Russian driver seems to be one of the most competitive rookies in the series in recent years.

The same can be said of your team.

Shwartzman turned 54 and his teammate Callum Ilott made 50 laps around the Southern California circuit that will organize its first NTT Indycar series of NTT on Sunday, March 23. That is in the same neighborhood of the turns as Andretti’s three global drivers and Dale Coyne Racing the driver Jacob Abel turned Tuesday, indicating that the dentition pains were minimal.

Ilott suffered some new car failures during the morning, but ended in general, less than a tenth of his teammate Shwartzman.

Rebound Ericsson in progress?

There is no doubt that slimming its fleet from four to three cars helped Andretti Global last season, since Colton Herta ended the best of the race in the second and Kirkwood placed the seventh best of the race in the final classification.

But the newcomer of the 2024 Ericsson team did not enjoy the same reward in its first year with the team. He finished 15th at points after finishing sixth in each of the previous three seasons with the chips races, with only one podium, second in Detroit.

Ericsson focused on adding muscle For his physique during the low season, since the AS INDYCAR series lacks the assisted direction that is in almost all racing machines of the important series. He also admitted that he is a slow holder when he reaches new teams, almost always improves in his second year.

So far, so good.

Ericsson turned 60 and led by .080 of a second about Kirkwood. The teammate Herta was fifth, .269 of a second behind Ericsson after leading during most of the portion of the test.

Abel is installed in Coyne

Jacob Abel tested No. 51 Dale Coyne Honda who will drive as a rookie this season, continuing learning more about the team and the car.

Abel finished slower of the six drivers, 1.4 seconds behind Ericsson. But that was not the point of this test.

Indy Nxt for Firestone Abel’s graduate was getting used to stops, tickets and leaving, communicating with the small but experienced Coyne team. It was more a “knowing you” than “we are going fast”, so the mission fulfilled.

Next

The NTT Indycar series season begins on Sunday, March 2 with the Firestone Grandestone of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. But fans and observers of the series will have the opportunity to evaluate the entire field before St. Pete Weekend during an open test from February 17 to 18 in Sebring (Florida) International Raceway.