Ferrari Formula 1 test driver Robert Shwartzman participated in the first Indycar test of the year on 4 January 2023. Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, and Team Penske controlled the test, having the drivers Ray Robb, Kyffin Simpson, and Dane Cameron all drive in the test.
Shwartzman set the fastest lap of the test of 52.359s, followed by DCR’S Ray Robb who set a lap of 52.584s, HMD Motorsports Indy NXT’S Kyffin Simpson of 52.905s, and Porsche Penske driver Dane Cameron of 53.364s.
Shwartzman won the FIA Formula 3 completion in 2019, followed by a fourth-place finish in Formula 2 the following year. In 2021, he almost won the F2 championship but ultimately lost to Oscar Piastri. He is a member of Ferrari’s F1 driver academy and made his Free Practice 1 debut in 2022 for Ferrari.
Now that all of the seats in F1 are filled for 2023, the Ferrari academy driver is looking at other racing series like Indycar. After the test, Schwartzman made his confidence in an Indycar clear.
“It was really fun to be there,” Shwartzman told RACER. “Overall, it was very positive, very productive. I was very curious to get to know the car. I’m very happy that my expectations were beaten. As for the physical and driving style, it’s a quite nice car to drive. Honestly, now, I don’t feel any soreness. My fitness allowed me to finish to the end. As a car itself, I really liked it and it was a fun car to drive and we tested a lot of things that I hope the team can use. Overall, very happy and excited. ”
Chip Gannasi Racing managing director Mike Hull was left impressed with what Robert did with the CGR car.
“For Robert, definitely a quality race driver and more than that, he understands what the car needs,” he told Racer. “He was quickly comfortable in the car and you can see why he’s been immersed with Ferrari. It was a terrific opportunity to have him test our car and for us to test him. I think he was pleasantly surprised with how an IndyCar drives. He’s in incredibly good physical condition and didn’t have any problems driving the car as the day wore on.”
The test was a debut for Schwartzman in an Indycar, as it was for Kyffin Simpson. Ray Robb and Dan Cameron had previously tested for Indycar.
Simpson led the group with 96 laps completed, followed by Shwartzman, Robb and Cameron. Given it was Simpson’s debut, Hull shared a similar level of excitement compared to Shwartzman
“I think it speaks highly of Indy NXT with how well Kyffin did today,” Hull told Racer. “He has a full season of racing ahead of him in Indy NXT and in sports cars, but he showed that he’s capable of driving an IndyCar and can be ready to race in IndyCar in 2024, if that comes to pass. I think Kyffin, and Sting Ray Robb, both showed what they’re capable of from all they’ve learned in Indy NXT. Within the scope of his first set of tires, he was ready to find what he needed next; his test was very much in line with what Robert achieved.”
