IndyCar: Mick Schumacher enjoyed himself during testing

      Mick Schumacher got his first impressions of an IndyCar at yesterday’s tests in Indianapolis and, by his own account, was quite pleased. And the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) team spoke positively about the experience of working with the son of the seven-time world champion, although, of course, it’s too early to say whether this will lead to anything further.

      In any case, RLL has no plans to invite Mick for additional tests in 2025, but judging by several short videos the team shared and the accompanying comments, it was a pleasure to work with the German driver.

      In the middle of the day, having completed roughly two dozen laps of the 3.925‑km stadium version of the track, which features 14 turns, Schumacher spoke to the press and explained why he decided to try out the Dallara DW12 fitted with a Honda engine.

      “IndyCar is the closest to the series in which I can still compete,” he stressed. “Of course, for the last two years my goal has been to return to Formula 1, but no opportunities opened up there. Basically, I want at some point to return to single-seater racing, so I think this American series is a pretty good option.

      “It’s a great championship, made up of 17 rounds, and I’m still young, so I want to do as many races as possible, and the people who work in IndyCar truly live motorsport… The RLL team helped me prepare well for the tests; the preparation was thorough, and I got a complete picture of these races.

      “Everyone said these cars are hard to drive, but actually I found that it’s easier than expected. It’s pleasing that you can take the corners in a fairly aggressive way, and that’s exactly what you want from a racing car. The tires also hold up well to that approach, so the impressions are quite positive.”

      When Mick was asked whether the cooperation with RLL would continue, he replied: “This decision depends on both sides, although at the moment I think it’s primarily up to me, because I have to figure out whether I want to race in IndyCar or not. We have a few days and weeks to think it over, and we’ll see what opportunities might open up for the future. But so far, things are going well.”

      Even if Schumacher does not yet intend to take part in oval testing, he made it clear that he is also interested: “Of course, I’d be interested to try it and understand what it’s like. I don’t rule it out, because it would be wrong to do only part of the races. If I choose IndyCar, I’d like to do it fully.

      “But I’m glad I came to Indianapolis, glad to drive this car, I enjoyed it. I want to understand what kind of machinery I’ll be most comfortable in. That doesn’t mean I don’t like European racing, the WEC or other championships, but I feel that single-seater racing is what I’ve always wanted to do.”

      Strangely, for some reason the timing system during yesterday’s tests at the Indianapolis circuit was malfunctioning, so there is no precise information about Mick’s lap time; however, according to Racer, in the first half of the day he was third fastest, behind experienced Alex Rossi and Norwegian Dennis Hauger, the reigning champion of the Indy NXT junior series.

      Those were mid‑day figures though: as the track became coated with a layer of rubber, speeds were expected to increase.