2025 Indianapolis 500: Robert Shwartzman stunningly wins pole as Team Penske’s cars are unable to make a qualifying attempt

A year after locking out the front row, none of the three Team Penske cars were able to make a run at the pole position for the 2025 Indianapolis 500. And the man starting first is an IndyCar Series rookie.

Robert Shwartzman was a stunning pole winner Sunday after he posted the fastest four laps during the top-six shootout. Shwartzman, a former Formula 1 reserve driver, posted a four-lap average of 232.790 MPH to best Takuma Sato for the top spot.

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Sato, a two-time Indy 500 winner, will start second. Pato O’Ward will start third.

Shwartzman is the first rookie to start on pole in the Indianapolis 500 in 43 years. It’s a shock. His Prema Racing team is in its first season in the IndyCar Series and has been an absolute mess so far in 2025. Shwartzman is 24th in the standings and teammate Callum Ilott is 26th. There are 27 full-time drivers in the IndyCar Series.

“Honestly,. I can’t believe it, I was closing my eyes like this is a dream. It can’t be true,” Shwartzman said after he officially won the pole.

The Indianapolis 500 is Shwartzman’s first race on an oval. He didn’t compete at all in the opening day of practice because his car wasn’t ready.

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Shwartzman, 25, was a reserve driver for Ferrari’s F1 team for the past four seasons before moving to the IndyCar Series. He finished second in F2, the second-tier Formula Series, in 2021 and won the Formula 3 title in 2019.

His presence at the front of the field could lead to a skittish few laps for the drivers around him given Shwartzman’s lack of oval experience. The veteran drivers starting around him will be looking to gain some quick track position — and also be wary of Shwartzman making a mistake. When asked about his expectations for the race after he won the pole, the rookie was wary to put any lofty goals out on the table.

Simply finishing the race would be a good result, especially given the rash of crashes so far during the buildup to the 500. Three cars have gone airborne in crashes so far in practice and qualifying and there have been other incidents as well.

Penske’s problems

Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power all posted times in the top 12 during Saturday’s qualifying session. That advanced them to the second round of qualifying Sunday to chase after the pole. But McLaughlin crashed hard in Sunday morning’s practice session while Newgarden’s and Power’s cars failed pre-qualifying inspection and were prevented from making a qualifying attempt.