Mick Schumacher to IndyCar is big news – US fans love a family success story

For a driver who never finished better than sixth in a Formula 1 grand prix, Mick Schumacher received a hero’s welcome from the IndyCar community when he announced his intention to race in the American open-wheel series in 2026. But this might be the rare case where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The 26-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher can rightfully be disappointed by his 2021-22 run with the Haas F1 team, which now seems an awfully long time ago. After a sabbatical year, Mick rescued his reputation in a two-year stint in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Alpine and had the opportunity to continue in WEC with Cadillac while serving as one of the marque’s F1 reserve drivers.

Then Jay Frye, president of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, came calling with the offer of an IndyCar test in one of RLL’s Dallara-Hondas. With the F1 door essentially closed yet still keen to race open-wheel cars, Schumacher jumped at the chance and posted competitive lap times. More importantly, he enjoyed the outing with RLL, and a deal was consummated for the still-young Swiss/German to become a full-time IndyCar driver – including Indianapolis and the other ovals.

Despite Mick Schumacher’s indifferent F1 record, this is big news for IndyCar. Michael Schumacher predated F1’s current boom in America, but he won the US Grand Prix five out of the eight times it was staged at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway between 2000-07, and he remains a larger-than-life figure in the sport. American racing fans respect almost any driver who makes it to F1, and they love generational success stories – just witness the popularity of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Al Unser Jr, Jacques Villeneuve, Graham Rahal and Michael and Marco Andretti.

“All I have to do is look at the comments that are being made online – thousands,” said Bobby Rahal – three-time IndyCar champion, RLL co-owner and father of Graham. “You never see that with any other driver coming into IndyCar, so Mick clearly has got a huge following – and he’s a great young man. I think he’s good for IndyCar and I think IndyCar will be good for him.”

“The biggest question is how he will adapt to competition on ovals”

It’s a unique opportunity for Schumacher to recast his open-wheel career in a comparatively low-pressure environment. He’ll be in high demand from fans and media, but it will be nothing like the microscope he was put under in F1. His two years racing Hypercars will help him transition to a heavier, less-responsive racing car than he was used to in F1 and coming up the European single-seat ladder.

As with any lifelong road racer moving into IndyCar, the biggest question about Schumacher’s potential is how he will adapt to competition on ovals. Many Europeans focus on the danger factor, and indeed Mick’s uncle, Ralf Schumacher, had a pair of significant accidents at Indianapolis, one of which left him concussed and in hospital.

Some F1 drivers take to ovals like a duck to water – Nigel Mansell being the prime example. Mansell thrived on high-speed corners and had no qualms about going wheel-to-wheel with anyone – F1 fans will no doubt remember his intense duel in the 1991 Spanish GP with Ayrton Senna, or his outside pass on Gerhard Berger around the old Mexico City track’s daunting 180-degree Peraltada in 1990.

Schumacher will without question bring increased international attention to the IndyCar Series in 2026. If he truly enjoys the experience – regardless of how well he does on track – it will be a win-win for both sides.

If Mick Schumacher wanted a crash course in American racing culture, he could have attended the 38th annual Performance Racing Industry trade show, held in Indianapolis from December 11-13. As the home of IndyCar, the United States Auto Club, the National Hot Rod Association and dozens of racing teams and component suppliers, Indianapolis is a natural location for the show, with the only drawback being frigid winter temperatures and occasional snow.

A recent survey asserted that racing brings some $69bn (£53bn) into the US economy, and the PRI Show showcases the industry with more than 1000 exhibitors and 3400 booths, spilling out of the Indiana Convention Center’s 13 acres of space, which is connected to the Lucas Oil Stadium, the 60,000-seat venue for the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team. Dozens of technical and marketing seminars fill out the week, which attracts around 70,000 attendees. PRI has a lot of similarities to the UK’s Autosport International show and is something that every serious motor sport enthusiast should experience.

The keynote speaker for PRI’s traditional opening breakfast this year was Mario Andretti; in 2012, it was drag-racing legend John Force, who on November 13 announced his retirement after a career that produced 157 NHRA event wins and 16 Funny Car championships, both records. Force, 76, had not raced since a severe crash at Virginia Motorsports Park in June 2024.

An outsized character who never met a microphone he didn’t like, Force built a drag-racing dynasty and his daughters Courtney and Ashley followed in his footsteps as successful drag racers, with Brittany claiming two NHRA Top Fuel titles. Bringing this issue’s Postcard about generational racing families full circle, Courtney Force is happily married to Graham Rahal.

Based in Indianapolis, John Oreovicz has been covering US racing for 33 years. He is author of the 2021 book Indy Split