IndyCar News: Mick Schumacher Impressed in IMS Test, Eyes Full Commitment to Series

The 26-year-old son of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, Mick Schumacher, captured his debut in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car saying “so far so good,” after completing 18 laps in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 75 Honda around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course Monday before lunch break.

What started as a potential audition quickly felt like a promising fit for the former F1 driver, who arrived in Indianapolis late Friday eager to explore a U.S. open-wheel future.

Schumacher dove into preparations with RLL—the team co-owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman, and Mike Lanigan—spending Friday on Honda’s driver-in-the-loop simulator, Saturday dissecting the test plan, chassis, and engine at the team’s shop, and even squeezing in a round of golf at Brickyard Crossing on Sunday. Monday brought the real action, with his mother and friends watching from the RLL timing stand as he tackled the Dallara DW12-Honda.

The session wasn’t without hiccups: The series’ timing and scoring beacon at the start/finish line malfunctioned for the first hour, forcing workarounds and limiting early track time. Undeterred, Schumacher adapted quickly, sharing the circuit with veterans like Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen, plus INDY NXT by Firestone standouts Caio Collet (AJ Foyt Racing), Dennis Hauger (Dale Coyne Racing), Lochie Hughes (Andretti Global), and James Roe (Juncos Hollinger Racing).

By the noon lunch break, Schumacher had clocked a 1m11.78s lap—unofficially third-fastest among the seven drivers, trailing only Rossi’s 1m11.50s and Hauger’s 1m11.69s. With fresh tire sets and more rubber laid down for the afternoon, times were poised to tumble further. His last open-wheel stint was nearly five months prior in McLaren’s F1 TPC program; since then, it’s been endurance racing with Alpine in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Single-seaters remain Schumacher’s first love, but European options have dwindled since his final F1 race in late 2022. As an F1 reserve, he’s logged reserve duties, but competitive single-seater miles have been elusive. Conversations with INDYCAR stars like Sebastien Bourdais, Mike Conway, and James Hinchcliffe—crossed paths in WEC or the F1 paddock—have highlighted the series’ appeal, an enthusiasm that resonated during his visit to this year’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

“INDYCAR comes the closest to what I can still race,” he said during the midday break. “I can’t go back to Formula 2—I won the championship there in 2020—so INDYCAR might be a good option.

“Obviously, my target the past couple of years has been to go back to Formula One, but that option hasn’t quite opened up this year or the years previous. So, at some point I want to race again in single-seaters, and therefore this option is a good one.”

The car itself exceeded expectations. “Everybody was saying how heavy it is to drive, and I found it actually lighter than expected, which is a positive, right?” he noted of the lack of power steering.

“So, no, I think it’s good. And the car is fun to drive. You know, you can really muscle around the corners. And I think that’s what you want from race cars, like full push, and go for it. So yeah, it’s positive.”

RLL fielded cars for Graham Rahal, Devlin DeFrancesco, and Rookie of the Year Louis Foster in 2025, and a seat could await Schumacher in 2026 if one of the other ridebuyers does not write a big enough check.

“Of course, I mean, IndyCar has to be considered seriously,” he added. “It’s a single-seater. It has 17 races in a year, and I think that’s all a racing driver can want for. Obviously, I’ve got no obligations on the side and I can really move along. And also, being in my own car is something that I do love, and I love single-seaters. I’ve said it before. So yeah, for sure, it’s a great place to be considered for, and also consider myself racing here. But we’ll get this day over and then see what the future brings.”

“It’s a decision that lies with both sides, and I think obviously in this moment, it’s mostly on my end because I have to figure out if I want to do INDYCAR or not,” he continued. “We all have a couple of days and weeks to think about it and see what opportunities there are for the future. But so far, so good.”

Ovals aren’t on the immediate agenda, but unlike his father—who balked at their high speeds and walls—the younger Schumacher is intrigued. “For sure, I’m interested to try it and see what it’s all about,” he said. “I might as well—it’s what the series is about, and I think it would be wrong to just do one part of the races. If I were to commit to INDYCAR, I’d like to commit to it fully.”

The layout differs from the F1 configuration where Michael Schumacher notched five wins and four poles from 2000 to 2006, and Mick doesn’t recall attending any of those races—”You’d have to ask my mom,” he quipped with a smile. Yet he spoke with the quiet confidence of someone poised to forge his own legacy at the Brickyard.

“I think there’s always importance anytime you get into a car, right? And the opportunity came to do with RLL, and we’re very happy about it,” he reflected. “The team has been great in preparing me for today. You know, we’ve done quite an extensive preparation for it, which is what you want and want to see. And it gives you the full picture of what it would be like to race here.”

“I’m happy to be here and happy to drive the car,” he added. “It’s fun—driving single-seaters, that’s about it. I want to enjoy racing, and to do that I want to find where I feel most at home. I’m not saying Europe or WEC or any of those other championships aren’t that, but I feel maybe racing single-seaters is always what I wanted to do.”