Does the Indy 500 field include any future Formula 1 drivers?

INDIANAPOLIS — Is there a future Formula 1 driver in the Indianapolis 500 field?

It’s possible but certainly not definite.

The driver on the pole, Robert Shwartzman, was a Formula 1 reserve driver for Ferrari and Sauber the last few years. He’s the 2019 Formula 3 champion and has six Formula 2 wins. Shwartzman has never competed on an oval. So the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday will be his first oval experience for him, as he transitions to INDYCAR racing after a frustrating last couple of seasons not landing the Formula 1 ride he hoped to secure.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t been given a chance to go to F1, even though I really tried my best,” said Shwartzman, who drove in the World Endurance Championship last year. “It was like, ‘OK, if that’s not the way to go, I’ll try here in Indy,’ and here we are.

“It’s a good place to be in. I really like it. I really enjoy it.”

Three drivers in the 2025 Indy 500 have Formula 1 starts. Marcus Ericsson made 97 starts from 2014-2018, Takuma Sato made 90 starts from 2002-2008 and Alexander Rossi made five starts in 2015.

With four wins in the first five road-course races this year, wouldn’t Alex Palou be a possibility? 

Well, it’s complicated.

While under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing in INDYCAR, he signed with McLaren to drive in INDYCAR and be a Formula 1 reserve driver in 2023. Ganassi sued Palou, who had done a practice session in Austin for McLaren, and Palou eventually remained with Ganassi. A lawsuit in England from McLaren lingers with the courts still to determine how much Palou owes McLaren for backing out of that contract.

Would other Formula 1 teams look at that drama and say they don’t want to deal with him?

“I would understand that,” Palou said. “I don’t know [if that’s the case]. For sure, it doesn’t help.”

Palou, Pato O’Ward (McLaren reserve driver) and Colton Herta (the Andretti driver most likely to make the move) are the three drivers most often talked about in making the move from INDYCAR to Formula 1.

All three have said they are happy racing in INDYCAR, but with the two Cadillac seats open for next year with the new team to be fielded by Andretti team owner Dan Towriss, there are obviously relationships and familiarity with them in the garage.

“I’m good where I am,” Palou said. “I’m super happy. You can see that. I have had zero conservations … with anybody, and I’m not like knocking on doors. I’m good where I am.”

All three know that their time to make a move is potentially limited based on their age. Palou is 28, O’Ward is 26 and Herta is 25.

Pato O’Ward is currently a test and reserve driver for McLaren. He will get to drive in a Formula 1 practice at Mexico City later this year, just as he did last year for the team.

“I would love an opportunity for Formula 1,” said O’Ward, who is fourth in the INDYCAR standings for McLaren. “But it’s a mysterious world, right? It moves in very mysterious ways. I can offer what I can bring to the table in terms of what I can do with a race car and in terms of marketability. I am pretty much just my face and me.

“I don’t come with $30 million. I’ve said it multiple times, and there’s a lot of guys that do, and I understand that that side of the business is impossible to ignore.”

The INDYCAR lifestyle might not be as glamorous when it comes to events, but it is also something the drivers embrace. 

“I love where I’m at,” said O’Ward, who is from Monterrey, Mexico. “If this is where I’m at for the rest of my life, I’m chilling. I freaking love America. Actually, I’d be pretty sad leaving America, because I love living here so much, but I’d be happy for an opportunity for a dream that’s always lived in my head.

“To be fair, INDYCAR is always going to be home to me. Always will be. Doesn’t matter if I go to Formula 1 for a few years or whatever, I’m always going to come back and INDYCAR is what’s going to feel like home.”

Herta has said he likes racing INDYCAR and that it wouldn’t be an easy decision to make the move. He has heard the talk of him possibly going to F1 so much over the last few years that he, at times, just dismisses the topic when asked.

“I don’t really have anything on that stuff,” he said politely while preparing for the Indianapolis 500.

Herta also needs to finish fourth in points to potentially be eligible for a super license to race F1. He currently sits ninth in the standings, 44 points out of fourth and 144 points out of the lead. Herta said he isn’t focused on the fourth-place benchmark.

“We just need to be running better on Sundays,” Herta said. “We’ve been pretty poor on Sundays for a lot of different reasons, and it’s been frustrating.

“We have a really good average qualifying and our average finish is pretty awful, so we need to work on that and not worry about that [in the standings].”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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