When Schumacher was asked by a group of select media, including Autosport, what attracted him to fly to the United States and test IndyCar for the first time, he said, “It’s a single-seater, I think that’s what attracted me to it.”
“I love open wheels. One thing my dad always said was, ‘Schumachers are usually faster if they can see their wheels.’
Learning the language and loving the environment
Driving the Dallara DW12-Honda was the culmination of a well-planned process that began with a session on Honda’s simulator on Friday and continued with a visit to RLL’s shop in Zionsville, Indiana.
“They were great. It really feels like a family-owned team, because you can sense that everyone is enjoying what they are doing and they are there because they are passionate about motorsport,” the ex-Formula 1 driver said of RLL.
WATCH: Mick Schumacher IndyCar test
“This is something I felt as soon as I entered the workshop – everyone is excited about racing and eager for people to try their cars and give feedback so they can grow and improve.”
Having spent his entire career in Europe, Schumacher also faced some language barriers when it came to specific racing conditions. “Like, new tires aren’t new tires – it’s the ‘sticker’ here. The first time they said it, I thought, ‘What’s a sticker?'” he said, smiling.
“The communication is a bit different. Obviously, we’re doing things in feet and yards. The PSI here isn’t that different because that’s what we did in F1. The pounds are all new to me. A lot of things were a bit different, but it’s good to work with another metric system and get to know it.”
From F1 to IndyCar: the main differences
While Schumacher discovered a lot of the differences behind driving an IndyCar, he was also able to connect it to past experience. “It feels exactly like an F2 car – maybe a little heavier in terms of steering,” he explained.
When Schumacher was asked to elaborate on the differences between driving an IndyCar and a Formula 1 car, which he races for Haas between 2021 and 2022, Schumacher said: “Obviously I think it’s all a bit more – maybe this sounds bad – but a bit more old-school.
“In IndyCar it’s more rough and F1 is probably more streamlined. The aero pieces are important and decisive. If one small piece doesn’t fit right, it can affect the whole car.
Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22, Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT03, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22
Photo by: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
“There’s a different approach, IndyCar is an elite series, which has a lot to do with keeping costs down. In F1, if you have more money, you’ll spend it.
“The procedures are a bit different – sometimes I would say clinical in F1 and very precise – whereas here it’s probably a bit more, yes, rougher, with more contact with the road. The fact that they don’t really have a skid was very interesting to me. It’s just the tub that’s the limit. As long as you don’t break the tub, you’re good to go. There are some differences that are very interesting.
“I think you can bring stuff from IndyCar to F1, but conversely there’s also a lot that you can transfer from Formula 1 to IndyCar to improve.”
Will Mick pursue a career in IndyCar?
The million-dollar question now is whether Schumacher will turn his first IndyCar test into a full-time ride when the series kicks off the 2026 season on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 1.
“I still have to let everything sink in a little bit, figure it out and make a decision going forward. It’s hard to say how high the percentage is. It was a lot of fun today, but I need to analyze a little more and see what it will look like,” he said.
“I think it’s pretty open in terms of what I’m doing in ’26. Obviously, the options are all there. IndyCar is one of them, so I really just wanted to know what it was like so I can make up my mind.”
Mick Schumacher, Rachel Letterman Lanigan Racing
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
One thing Schumacher has made clear is that whether he stays in Europe or moves to the US, he will commit to the same program and has refused to combine his current WEC duties with Alpine with a partial IndyCar calendar.
“Obviously if I had to commit to a championship, I would do it 100%,” he confirmed. “Dual schedules aren’t really on my radar, because I feel like it would take too much energy and too much distraction to do both. So if I have to commit, I’ll commit 100% to one or the other.”
Asked if he had a deadline for his decision and whether he wanted to test on ovals first, Schumacher replied: “Obviously at some point I want to be sure about my future, so I think it won’t take too long before I make a decision. Whether it will be before I test on ovals or after, I don’t know.”
Racing on ovals is often a deciding factor for European drivers coming to IndyCar, but Schumacher isn’t worried and plans to embrace the challenge if he does.
“I think safety is obviously a high priority for everyone. IndyCar has made a lot of adjustments and changes to make it safer, and I’m sure they will continue to improve,” he said. “At some point, though, you can only make it so safe at your own pace. But again, I think all precautions have been taken. I haven’t driven the Oval, so I can’t say more than that, but so far I haven’t heard anything that would scare me.”
Whether it was the oval, the street circuit or the road course, Schumacher was clear about what attracted him to the world of IndyCar.
He said, “I think the one word that stuck with me the most was from someone who worked here in IndyCar – that the most important aspect of the team, or the decision making, at the end of the day is the driver.” “The fact that they trust the driver so much really piqued my interest and made it interesting for me to come out and try.”
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