Robert Shwartzman joins Lola in major Gen4 signing
Lola have confirmed their driver line-up for the upcoming Season 13, the first of Formula E's upcoming Gen4 era, bringing a new face in Robert Shwartzman onto their roster for the upcoming season.
The move certainly represents big shoes for Shwartzman to fill, and will be the 26-year-old's first full-time seat in Formula E. Shwartzman has driven for DS Penske in the Berlin Rookie Test in 2023 and 2024, apart from taking part in pre-season testing for Season 10.
The Russian driver will undertake a unique arrangement in 2027, driving for the Stellantis outfit Peugeot in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) as well as a Lola seat in Formula E.
Shwartzman's announcement as a Lola driver comes after plenty of uncertainty and a vast number of drivers linked to the team's seats in the off-season. He was one of the first names to be in contention for a seat at the team, but further talks with Peugeot for a hypercar seat slowed progress on his Formula E talks.
Yet, even as uncertainty emerged over the line-ups, Shwartzman emerged in contention to join the team, with Lola finally announcing the decision in early November.
It represents yet another chapter for the former IndyCar racer, who now prepares for an exciting journey in electric racing and the Gen4 era
"I'm very excited to join the Formula E grid and start this new chapter of my career with Lola," Shwartzman said, on the announcement. "Formula E is such a competitive, unique championship and one I've wanted to race in for a long time.
"Balancing my commitments between WEC and Formula E is going to make for a demanding, non-stop season, but honestly, after not racing in 2026, I missed it so much.
"Being back to doing what I love most, especially with a double campaign across two world-class programmes, is an incredible feeling. I'm really grateful to everyone who worked behind the scenes to give me this opportunity," Shwartzman concluded, delighted to be back racing.
Shwartzman brings plenty of experience and versatility to the table. The youngster emerged on the junior racing scene with third-place finishes in Italian F4 in 2015, and later the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2017.
Another excellent year of racing in 2018 saw him finish third in European Formula 3, rounding out the season with eight podium finishes in nine completed races.
This opened the door for him to take part in the first-ever FIA Formula 3 championship season. Victories in the season opener at Barcelona, and later at Paul Ricard and Monza, reaped the rewards, as he took the championship at the end of the year.
Shwartzman backed up his talents by finishing fourth in his maiden F2 season in 2020, before emerging as the runner-up to teammate Oscar Piastri in 2021.
By serving as a Ferrari reserve at the time, he earned several Free Practice appearances across 2022 and 2023 for the Italian team, and later Sauber in 2024 as their test driver. He would also take part in the GT World Challenge Europe in 2023, building a profile in sports car racing.
Shwartzman's year in 2024 elevated him to take the wheel of Ferrari's No. 83 hypercar, alongside Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye, as the trio won out in the 6 Hours of COTA, on their way to ninth in the standings.
However, a moment that arguably marked the highlight of the Russian driver's career was his move across the pond, to take part in PREMA Racing's debut IndyCar campaign in 2025. Shwartzman went on to take pole at the prestigious Indy 500, marking the first instance of a rookie taking pole at the famed Yard of Bricks since Teo Fabi in 1983.
Despite a pit stop mishap eventually ending his race, the performance was hailed as one of the biggest stories of the season. Shwartzman would eventually lose out on IndyCar's overall Rookie of the Year award by two points to Louis Foster, despite registering top 10 finishes in Gateway and Iowa's speedway races.
However, he wouldn't be left with a drive for the current season, with PREMA unable to continue into a second season in IndyCar due to funding crunches
Shwartzman's signing represents a big move for Lola, as they are currently building in their formative years as a Formula E constructor. The British outfit, which recently joined Formula E in Season 10, is already a race-winner, with di Grassi securing victory at Shanghai in a wet/dry race earlier this year.
Lola will be sporting an all-new line-up for 2027, with Zane Maloney switching to Nissan ahead of the championship's upcoming Gen4 era.
Team principal Mark Preston hailed Shwartzman's signing, welcoming him onto the team ahead of the Gen4 era at Lola's fold.
"Robert's results and experience speak for themselves, and we are so pleased to be welcoming him to Lola Formula E," Preston commented on the announcement.
"While he enters the series as a rookie facing a genuine learning curve against established grid veterans, his proven ability to adapt quickly across different categories makes him a highly promising prospect for the Gen4 era.
Shwartzman becomes the third rookie to be announced this season, joining the likes of Théo Pourchaire at Opel and Zak O'Sullivan at Envision Racing. He also becomes Lola's first driver announced officially for Season 13, with the team now looking to round out their driver line-up before pre-season testing commences the following week in Jarama.
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