PREMA Racing Overview
PREMA Racing is a prominent Italian motorsport team based in Grisignano di Zocco, Veneto, Italy. Founded in 1983, the organization has built one of the most respected records in junior single-seater motorsport over its more than four decades of competition. The team currently fields twenty-nine drivers across fourteen championships operating under various names and has established itself as a critical talent pipeline for multiple Formula 1 junior programs including Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Renault, Toyota, and Williams. PREMA made its debut in the IndyCar Series in 2025 and simultaneously entered the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series in 2022, marking a deliberate strategic expansion beyond its traditional single-seater operations. Owned and operated through the DC Racing Solutions parent company, the organization functions as the sister team to Iron Lynx and Iron Dames, with Stephen Mitas serving as team principal and CEO following the departure of the Rosin family in early 2026.
Founding and Organizational Origins
PREMA Racing was founded in 1983 by Angelo Rosin and Giorgio Piccolo in Grisignano di Zocco, Italy. The team entered the Italian Formula 3 Championship the following year, establishing its foundational presence in European motorsport from its earliest years of operation. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, PREMA cultivated a reputation for developing young talent, producing notable drivers including future touring car star Fabrizio Giovanardi, multiple Le Mans winner Rinaldo Capello, and future Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve during its early developmental years. National Formula 3 racing served as the primary proving ground for the organization during this foundational period. The team established its headquarters in Grisignano di Zocco and operated under DC Racing Solutions ownership, which also managed the Iron Lynx and Iron Dames sister team programs. This organizational structure allowed PREMA to develop technical expertise across multiple motorsport disciplines while maintaining its core identity as a driver development organization.
Growth Into Formula Racing Competition
PREMA established its first major competitive credentials by capturing the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 1989 and again in 1990 with Roberto Colciago, with additional titles following in 1998 with Donny Crevels and 1999 with Peter Sundberg. The team made its first international competitive foray in 1988 by entering the Macau Grand Prix, a competition it would return to repeatedly throughout the following decades. In 2000, PREMA expanded into modern-era Formula Renault racing and immediately captured the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup Team Championship, with Ryan Briscoe winning the Italian Formula Renault 2000 championship in 2001. Additional major achievements included the 2005 Italian Formula Renault 2000 Championship won by future Formula 1 star Kamui Kobayashi. The team made a one-season attempt at the International Formula 3000 Championship during this period, further expanding its operational experience.
PREMA entered the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2003 and immediately won the inaugural edition championship with Ryan Briscoe. Following that breakthrough, the team experienced a period of competitive difficulty before rebounding by capturing consecutive titles in 2011 with Roberto Merhi and in 2012 with Daniel Juncadella, who also delivered PREMA its first Macau Grand Prix victory that same year. The series subsequently transitioned into the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, and PREMA began what would become near-total domination of the category, winning every team championship from 2011 through 2018 and claiming all but one of the driver championships across that span. Multiple champions from this period went on to become Formula 1 drivers including Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Mick Schumacher. During this same era, PREMA expanded both downward and upward on the single-seater ladder. The team competed in the World Series Formula V8 3.5 between 2006 and 2009, achieving its best placement of fourth overall in 2008 with Miguel Molina, and also entered the short-lived Italian and European Formula Abarth championships during that period.
PREMA Racing Competitive Journey
PREMA Racing has evolved from a successful Italian Formula 3 specialist into one of the most comprehensive junior single-seater teams in world motorsport, operating across Formula 4, Formula Regional, Formula 3, and Formula 2 categories while expanding into endurance racing and the IndyCar Series. The team has been particularly dominant within the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and its successor series, and has demonstrated consistent excellence at every level of the recognized pathway toward Formula 1 competition.
Early Seasons and Development (1984-1999)
PREMA built its reputation through decades of consistent competitive performance in the Italian Formula 3 Championship, the category that served as the primary proving ground for the organization throughout its first sixteen years. The team captured Italian Formula 3 Championship titles in 1989 and 1990 with Roberto Colciago, then added further championships in 1998 with Donny Crevels and in 1999 with Peter Sundberg. Among its early roster of notable alumni were Fabrizio Giovanardi, who became one of the most successful touring car drivers in European motorsport history, Rinaldo Capello, a multiple Le Mans winner, and Jacques Villeneuve, who would go on to become a Formula 1 World Champion. PREMA also entered the Macau Grand Prix for the first time in 1988, establishing a long-term presence at one of the most prestigious events on the junior single-seater calendar.
Breakthrough in Formula Renault and Formula 3 Euro Series (2000-2010)
PREMA made a decisive move into international single-seater competition by entering the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup in 2000 and winning the Team Championship in its debut season, with Ryan Briscoe capturing the Italian Formula Renault 2000 championship in 2001. Future Formula 1 star Kamui Kobayashi added the 2005 Italian Formula Renault 2000 Championship to the team trophy cabinet. The organization made a bold step upward by entering the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2003 and capturing the inaugural championship with Ryan Briscoe, establishing PREMA as a genuine force at the highest level of European junior formula racing. Daniel Juncadella delivered the team its first Macau Grand Prix victory in 2011, a landmark result that symbolized PREMA arrival as an elite motorsport organization. The team secured back-to-back Formula 3 Euro Series Championships in 2011 and 2012, setting the stage for the next phase of its competitive development.
Breakthrough in FIA Formula Racing Championships (2011-2020)
The transition of the Formula 3 Euro Series into the FIA Formula 3 European Championship marked the beginning of PREMA most dominant competitive era. The team won every FIA Formula 3 European Championship team title from 2011 through 2018 and claimed all but one of the driver championships during that span. Drivers who won championships or finished at the top of the standings included Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and Mick Schumacher, all of whom advanced to Formula 1 competition. The team expanded its single-seater ladder by entering the GP2 Series in 2016, where it finished first and second on debut with Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovinazzi. When the series evolved into the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017, PREMA dominated immediately with Charles Leclerc claiming seven wins and seven pole positions on his way to an early championship title.
In the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, PREMA fielded Ferrari Driver Academy members Marcus Armstrong, Robert Shwartzman, and Guanyu Zhou, alongside returning driver Ralf Aron and Mick Schumacher, who won the drivers championship. For the 2019 season, the team represented Mick Schumacher in Formula 2 alongside Sean Gelael, though the team finished ninth in the Formula 2 team championship standings that year. In the inaugural FIA Formula 3 Championship, PREMA drivers Robert Shwartzman, Jehan Daruvala, and Marcus Armstrong finished first, second, and third in the drivers standings respectively. Shwartzman also secured the drivers title. Mick Schumacher went on to win the Formula 2 Championship the following year with Shwartzman finishing fourth with the most wins, and Oscar Piastri won the Formula 3 Championship with teammates Logan Sargeant and Frederik Vesti finishing third and fourth, completing another dominant season for the organization.
For the 2020 Formula Regional European Championship, PREMA drivers Gianluca Petecof, Arthur Leclerc, and Oliver Rasmussen finished first, second, and third in the drivers championship, and the team won the teams championship by a significant margin. PREMA expanded its championship presence by entering the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series in 2022, marking the beginning of its competitive efforts in endurance racing alongside its established single-seater operations.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2022-Present)
As of 2025, PREMA Racing fields twenty-nine drivers across fourteen championships and operates from its headquarters in Grisignano di Zocco with additional operational facilities in the United States to support its IndyCar program. Stephen Mitas became team principal and CEO in February 2026 following the departure of the Rosin family in January of that year. The team serves as the sister organization to Iron Lynx and Iron Dames, which extends its reach across GT and endurance racing disciplines. In April 2024, PREMA confirmed its entry into the 2025 IndyCar Series with a two-car lineup featuring Callum Ilott and former Prema Formula 2 driver Robert Shwartzman, supplied by Chevrolet engines. Shwartzman secured the team first pole position in the Indianapolis 500 in 2025, becoming the first rookie driver to win pole position at that event since the 1983 running.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
PREMA Racing has built its identity as a driver development organization with a systematic approach to nurturing young talent from Formula 4 through Formula 2, supported by deep technical partnerships and manufacturer affiliations. The team core strength lies in its ability to maximize driver performance through precise car setup, consistent engineering quality, and the careful management of developmental programs across multiple championships simultaneously. Its longstanding role as a talent pool for Formula 1 junior programs has given the organization an extensive network of technical and personnel resources that translate into competitive advantages at every level of the single-seater ladder. The expansion into endurance racing in 2022 represented a natural extension of its technical expertise, and the entry into IndyCar in 2025 reflects its broader strategic vision of becoming a multi-discipline motorsport organization.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
PREMA first Italian Formula 3 Championship title arrived in 1989, laying the foundation for decades of competitive success. The team secured its first international series championship in the 2000 Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup Team Championship, followed by the Formula 3 Euro Series inaugural championship in 2003. Daniel Juncadella delivered the first Macau Grand Prix victory in 2011, establishing the team among the elite of junior single-seater motorsport. The six consecutive FIA Formula 3 European Championship team titles from 2011 through 2018 represented an unprecedented period of sustained competitive excellence. The 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship, in which PREMA drivers claimed first, second, and third in the final standings, stands as one of the most dominant team performances in modern junior formula history. Robert Shwartzman pole position for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 marked the organization first pole position in the premier American open-wheel series.
PREMA Racing Achievements and Results
PREMA Racing has accumulated one of the most distinguished championship records of any motorsport organization in the junior formula era, with multiple team and driver titles across the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Formula Regional European Championship, FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, and Italian Formula 4 Championship. The organization success is anchored by a developmental philosophy that emphasizes technical consistency, driver skill cultivation, and the careful management of long-term competitive programs across multiple racing categories.
PREMA Racing Formula Racing Achievements
PREMA holds six consecutive FIA Formula 3 European Championship team titles spanning 2011 through 2018, alongside five driver championships across the same period with winners including Roberto Merhi, Daniel Juncadella, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and Mick Schumacher. The team captured the inaugural FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2019 with Robert Shwartzman, Jehan Daruvala, and Marcus Armstrong sweeping the top three positions in the final drivers standings. PREMA also claimed the FIA Formula 2 Championship team title in 2017 with Charles Leclerc and again in 2020 with Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman. In Formula Regional competition, PREMA won the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup Team Championship in 2000 and the Formula Regional European Championship team title in 2020, with drivers sweeping the top three positions in the drivers standings that same year. The team has captured multiple Italian Formula 4 Championship titles and ADAC Formula 4 titles and has secured championship victories across additional Formula 4 regional categories.
Junior Formula Endurance Achievements
PREMA entered the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series in 2022, marking the organization first competitive presence in international endurance racing. The program has competed across multiple classes and has built competitive results in endurance format racing since its debut season. The team endurance racing program operates in coordination with its Iron Lynx and Iron Dames sister team organizations, sharing technical infrastructure and operational expertise. The entry into the IndyCar Series in 2025 with a Chevrolet-powered two-car lineup featuring Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman represented a significant competitive and operational milestone for the organization. Shwartzman qualifying performance at the 2025 Indianapolis 500, becoming the first rookie driver to win pole position at the event since 1983, established PREMA presence at the highest level of American open-wheel motorsport.