Prema Racing showcases promising debut in St. Petersburg IndyCar qualifying, with rookie Robert Shwartzman securing 18th position in the No. 83 Chevy, outperforming both Ed Carpenter Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing teams.

Shwartzman's achievement is particularly notable given his limited track experience, having completed only 20 laps on Friday and 10 laps Saturday morning due to radio issues. The former Ferrari F1 test driver managed to surpass several veteran drivers, including Santino Ferrucci, Graham Rahal, and Alexander Rossi.

"Overall I don't think it was a bad qualifying because of all the issues we had in free practice," Shwartzman commented. He acknowledged the learning curve with the new tire compounds and different group dynamics compared to his previous racing experience.

The rookie's performance stands in contrast to his experienced teammate Callum Ilott, who will start from 27th position. Ilott cited tire management issues and a generally messy session as factors in his qualifying result, noting, "We need to look into it quite a bit. We just couldn't get the tires to work and couldn't put anything together."

Looking ahead to the race, both drivers remain focused on improvement, with Shwartzman eager to tackle his first IndyCar race and Ilott determined to move forward from his starting position.

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