Seven-time F1 Champion Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick Schumacher, has found himself returning to open-wheel racing for the first time since 2022 when Haas dropped him from the team. He will mark his IndyCar debut in the 2026 season with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He will be joining forces with Graham Rahal, and 2025 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, Louis Foster.

While he is returning to open-wheel after a long time, he didn’t step away from racing. Mercedes signed Schumacher as their reserve driver shortly after his Haas dismissal. He then moved to the WEC, racing for Alpine in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, marking three podium finishes. Although he has been away from F1 for a while, can he make a strong impression in open-wheel racing with IndyCar?

Mick Schumacher aims to devote himself to IndyCar, but doesn’t intend to leave F1 behind

Despite coming in as an F2 Champion, Schumacher did not have the best time in F1 with Haas. The car’s poor performance in 2021 resulted in him scoring zero points. Although he managed to clinch some points in the following season, the team dropped him in favor of more experienced drivers.

However, he still has a hope to return to F1 as he prepares for his first IndyCar season with RLL.

“The world of F1 is a very specific one and a special one, but obviously it’s still a single-seater,” Schumacher said. “I think that there’s been plenty of great drivers, and numerously also [INDYCAR teams that have] settled into affiliation with some other teams in F1 for good reason, so I don’t see why the move to INDYCAR would close that door.”

At the same time, it is important to note that this would be the first time that Michael Schumacher’s son prepares to race on oval tracks. Although he did test for the team earlier at Indianapolis, it was conducted on the road course. As that challenge stands ahead of him, Schumacher is committed to devoting his 100% to face it.

“To me, it was important not to do like a half thing but actually go in and do it 100 percent. And definitely ovals are a part of that,” Schumacher said. “I’ve had good conversations with people around who had good and bad views on it, and I just had to make an average out of that and decide it for myself.”

This will mark a new challenge in Schumacher’s career. But such was never the case for his father. Michael Schumacher dedicated most of his skills to driving for Ferrari in F1, winning five titles with the team. Although there have been multiple Formula 1 drivers in history who attempted to race the Indy 500, Schumacher never did.

When Michael Schumacher revealed why he didn’t participate in the Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 is one of IndyCar’s most prestigious races. However, that wasn’t how Michael Schumacher felt. During his prime years with Ferrari, he revealed why that was the case. Speaking in an interview, he claimed that the race was less challenging than Formula 1 and far too dangerous.

“First of all, it’s a step down from Formula 1, and second, it’s too dangerous,” Schumacher explained. “The speed you do that close to the walls; if you have an accident, there is no way a chassis can survive a certain way of having a crash.”

“I don’t see any point in that I have nothing to prove there. I don’t see a challenge in it,” he added.

Michael Schumacher never found IndyCar to be challenging enough for him. But, that is the exact test next in line for his son, Mick. As he prepares for his debut in the series, can he walk in his father’s footsteps and prove his competence on the track?