Prema Racing, one of the most successful teams competing on the European open-wheel ladders that lead to Formula 1, is considering an expansion into the U.S. with an NTT IndyCar Series program.
The Italian organization, which won FIA Formula 2 championships with Charles Leclerc (2017), Mick Schumacher (2020), and Oscar Piastri (2021), and earned the European Le Mans Series LMP2 title in 2022, is currently evaluating a North American move that would complement its global presence with formula cars and prototypes. Speaking with RACER, a team representative confirmed Prema is “investigating” the formation of an IndyCar program but declined to go into greater detail.
Along with its positions in F2 and LMP2, Prema also races in most of the known junior open-wheel championships in its home continent and internationally with programs across nearly a dozen series.
Prema’s reach within the past and present IndyCar paddock is significant. Among the current drivers in the field for 2024, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist have driven for team, and two of its better graduates in Robert Schwartzman and Nick Cassidy tested for Ganassi within the last year. Its roster of IndyCar alumni also includes eight-time race winner Ryan Briscoe, Stefano Coletti, Callum Ilott, Charlie Kimball and Carlos Munoz.
“That would be a dream come true,” Rosenqvist told RACER. “It would reunite me with my old friends there. I raced with them in 2008 for one race in Spa and in 2015 when we won the FIA European Formula 3 championship together. They’re awesome. They’re the best team in Europe, outside of F1. If they were to come over here, they would be a force to reckon with.”