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Robert Schwartzman had started the world-famous Indy 500 on pole position but was forced out of the race after 87 laps when he crashed into his own pit crew after a brake failure
Indy 500 star Robert Schwartzman blamed a rear brake failure after he ploughed into his own pit crew. Four members of his Prema Racing team were injured in the incident, with one stretchered away.
Schwartzman had started Sunday’s race on pole position, the first rookie to do so since 1983. The Israeli-Russian driver was called into the pits on the 87th lap by his team, but ended up crashing out.
The 25-year-old came into pit for a tyre change, touching his brakes as he swerved inwards to slow down. But his entire front end immediately locked up, sending his car sliding into crew members.
Four of the team were hit by the car, with one taken away on a stretcher after complaining of pain in his right foot. The incident put Schwartzman out of the race, which was eventually won by Indy 500 standings leader Alex Palou.
The driver blamed a brake failure for the incident, insisting he lost the front end as soon as he tried to slow down. Schwartzman lamented the fact the incident had ruined a srtong weekend.
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“I honestly felt really strange brakes when I was coming slow in pit lane. I locked up both front tires, which usually isn’t the case,” Shwartzman said. “I wasn’t sure if it was the brakes or because the tires were cold. I tried to be very slow.
“But as soon as I touched my brakes, my whole front was lost, and I went right into the guys. It was really scary because at the moment I braked I was just a passenger.
“It’s just really sad because we did such good work in qualifying. But it’s the Indy 500. Anything can happen. A lot of strong drivers are out of the race or behind. This is the Indy 500. This happens.”
Schartzman later confirmed that no one in his pit crew was seriously injured. He added: “We didn’t finish the race the way we had hoped, but I’m just relieved that the crew is okay. On my third pitstop, my rear brakes failed, so I only had the front brakes available.
“As I came into the box both my front tyres locked up and the car went into the wall and some of the crew. Thankfully everyone is okay though. I had a solid start to the race though and after the early caution and restart I lost a few spots and settled into fourth.
“Our first pit stop was extremely slow, dropping me from fourth to 21st and I fought back some more places before my final stop. The Indy 500 is so unpredictable, we saw many strong drivers not finishing.
“But despite the result, I’m proud of our historic pole in qualifying. That was a huge achievement. Now, we need to reflect, work harder, and keep improving.”
Shwartzman currently sits 22nd in the rankings with an impressive 65 points. The 25-year-old was previously a reserve driver for Ferrari’s F1 team, but left that role when he moved to Indy Car.
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