IndyCar's first practice at Thermal was a fiery one, as Prema Racing's No. 83 entry, driven by Robert Shwartzman, caught fire during it. Shwartzman, in reaction, stopped the car and jumped out — while triggering a red flag on the session. As expected, the AMR safety team was on the scene quickly, but Prema needed to make significant repairs overnight due to the extent of the damage.
While an unfortunate scenario, it turns out the fire did not have to be as bad as it was. IndyCar's investigation later found that the approved emergency pull cable, which controls the fire suppression system installed on every car, was out of compliance on the No. 83 car, and failed to activate properly. The team, well-established in Europe, but new to IndyCar, was using an unapproved product in the car.
A fire for Robert Shwartzman and PREMA Racing in Thermal Practice 1. pic.twitter.com/Ii0zZlG0Lz
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) March 21, 2025
Officials concluded that this is a safety issue, specifically violating Rule 14.1.3. "All parts provided by an Approved Supplier must be used as supplied without modification unless otherwise approved by IndyCar and stated in these Rules or in update bulletins." As a result, Prema has been fined $10,000 and docked 10 championship points. The No. 83 falls from 22nd to 27th in the championship standings, but Shwartzman's points position remains unaffected. The team has no plans to appeal.
Andretti Global was also penalized earlier this week for a separate safety violation involving the No. 26 of Colton Herta. The team failed to include two anti-intrusion plates on either side of the car, only utilizing one on each side. They were docked 10 championship points as well and fined $25,000.
