Indy 500 wonderkid Robert Shwartzman explains his pull towards rap music

Robert Shwartzman may be making headlines for clinching pole position at the 2025 Indy 500, but he also appears to carry another passion that flies under the radar. The Israeli-born racer recently revealed his strong interest in rap music.

The Prema racing driver, who recently made the leap to American open-wheel racing, shared his attraction to the genre. The 25-year-old detailed how he fell in love with rap and how creating a rap track subtly relates to working with telemetry in racing.

Sharing his thoughts with IndyCar commentator James Hinchcliffe on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast—shared on X (formerly Twitter)—Robert Shwartzman stated:

“When I was young, I loved Metallica. Linkin Park was my favourite band. I was into that kind of music. And then rap started to hook me. You know, rappers sample cool moments, cool beats, and still keep melodies, and I was like, ‘This is cool.’ When you can actually sample a cool melody and then put your lyrics over it, you can speak about what you want—your problems, life, general problems in the world, love—whatever. I just started getting hooked on rap."

"I started feeling like it’s quite easy. I get in the flow, I get into the rhythm. Then I started improvising, adding my own punchlines, you know, punch lines, voice-wise ad-libs and stuff like that,” he added.

Interestingly, the former Scuderia Ferrari Academy graduate drew a striking comparison between rap music and playing with the telemetry of a race car.

“It’s actually a fun process—like working with the engineers on a race car. You sit down, look at the telemetry. On the music side, it’s like the system where you play around, change some things, and create your own vibe, your own idea, your own style. You can go from sad to happy to cool—whatever type of song you want. And you're still playing with it, so it's really cool,” he further mentioned.

Raised in a multicultural environment spanning several countries across Europe and now racing in the United States, it’s no surprise that Robert Shwartzman finds resonance in the diversity and storytelling of rap music. In the meantime, as his profile in IndyCar continues to rise, the 2019 Formula 3 champion will fancy his chances of converting pole position at the Indy 500 into a race victory at the Brickyard showpiece.

---

Robert Shwartzman reacts after clinching pole at the Indy 500

Robert Shwartzman reacted after clinching pole position ahead of the upcoming Indy 500 event. The Prema Racing star stole the spotlight with his brilliance around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval circuit.

The former Ferrari Formula 1 test driver, who had never raced on an oval prior to the Indy 500 qualifying weekend, stunned the IndyCar grid by stringing together an impressive four laps to clock the fastest average speed during the final qualifying session. Robert Shwartzman recorded a speed of 232.79 MPH to clinch pole position for the event.

Sharing his thoughts following the remarkable feat, the Israeli racer took to Instagram to express his emotions. Posting a carousel of photos, he accompanied them with the caption:

“Pole for the Indy 500 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This one's for you, Dad! I wish you were here to share this unforgettable moment with me. Hope you're watching and smiling from above. Time to soak it all in... then back to work from tomorrow. Thank you to @prema_team and @teamchevy and the amazing support from everybody who was supporting me and believing in me for all these years and the fans around the world.”

Shwartzman became the first driver in the history of the Indy 500 to clinch pole position as a rookie since Italian driver Teo Fabi in 1983. The 25-year-old’s pole position also marked Prema’s first major breakthrough since joining IndyCar racing.

Robert Shwartzman, who will now be looking to deliver a stellar performance at the upcoming Brickyard race, faces the daunting task of defying the persistent trend of pole-sitters failing to win the Indy 500. In the 108 editions of the race, the event has only been won from pole position 21 times, with the most recent being Simon Pagenaud in 2019.