The Italian-based juggernaut of Europe’s junior formulas announced plans in early April to create a base of operations in Indiana and field two full-time cars powered by Chevrolet in North America’s premier open-wheel championship beginning next season.
Since then, there has been significant progress made.
Team principal Rene Rosin, son of founder and patriarch Angelo, provided an exclusive update with Motorsport.com, which included revealing that Prema’s massive headquarters will be based in Fishers, Indiana, which is located roughly 20 miles away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We are in the full process of building up and organizing ourselves in the best way possible,” Rosin said. “We have facilities in Fishers, which is 100,000 square feet.
“At the moment, we are building up all the offices inside and everything, and I think it will be fully operational by September onwards. Until that is ready, we have some provisional place where we can do meetings and so on.”
And the shop, which was constructed in 2023, also provides an opportunity for expansion.
“At the moment, our sister company doing the IMSA program, Iron Lynx, is based in Detroit,” Rosin said. “We are evaluating to bring that to Indianapolis next year, but it’s something that we will decide in the next month.
“It’s a building that allows us to do all this kind of operation, even if I grow up my current structures in the US on different programs as well, I have space enough to permit to do that without thinking of changing and looking for new facilities.
“These facilities will cover me for quite a few years.”
While Rosin has already appointed the team's IndyCar CEO in Piers Phillips, former president of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and general manager of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (now Arrow McLaren), there are other plans with personnel that include bringing over some staff from its base in Europe.
“I already have a few people starting now, let’s say we already agree on 50% of the staff,” Rosin said. “Of course, more people will be available when the season finishes.
“People from Europe, when the Formula 2 and Formula 3 seasons finish, because we want to bring some people from Prema within the Prema US entity. There will be a mix of interaction between East and West, let’s say, and so for that I need more time, but we already have a plan that 50% is already secured.
“We already order everything in terms of equipment in terms of cars, material, trailers. And everything is starting to fall in place, let’s say, after the European summer break – in September, October – is when everything nearly will be delivered in view of being prepared for next year and going racing.”
One of the few big-ticket items left yet to be set is the driver line-up, with Prema having a plethora of who’s who stretched around the globe.
Its list of alumni includes nine drivers on the current Formula 1 grid, including the likes of standouts Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri and Pierre Gasly. The pipeline also extends to IndyCar regulars Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong, along with Callum Ilott, who has made 38 starts in the series since 2021 but now competes full-time in the World Endurance Championship with Team Jota.
And while Rosin has previously confirmed to Motorsport.com that conversations have happened with Williams’ American driver Logan Sargeant – who drove for Prema for the 2020 F3 season – on a switch from F1 to IndyCar, he is still some time away from finalizing anyone as his attention has primarily been on equipment and personnel.
“There is not only cars and engines, but there is pit equipment, pit stands and pitstop guns – everything,” he said. “I’m sitting down now, concentrating on building up the remaining mechanics and engineers.
“There are people coming from Europe, people coming from different part of the world. We are really looking forward to September, October when the people we start working together in our facilities in Fishers.
“And drivers is now the next topic. We have a certain idea. We’ve been approached by a lot of drivers, known by us and some have experience in America, some have no experience in America, so European-based and US- based, and I have to say now is the moment that the next month, month and a half, is now where of course I need to concentrate on that. I’m really looking very positive on the driver’s side.”
When asked if the plan is to have the driver lineup settled by September, Rosin shared he has “a shortlist” in mind and that the market is “looking pretty well” at the moment.
The last discussion point was how Prema will be affected by IndyCar’s looming charter system coming in as a new team.
“What I know, and what I’m sure of, is that in 2025 Prema will be running,” Rosin said.
“There is not any doubt on it. Having said that, the charter system… there is a lot of discussion. Nothing is secure yet, nothing has been announced yet.
“We are discussing in contact with the organization both with IndyCar and Penske Corporation to see how to integrate the system and so on. But, of course, I’m waiting for some more feedback.
“In the next weeks, the next month, I think I will be able to understand which way to go. But what I’m sure is Prema will be there.”
