Mick Schumacher wants to do at RLL what father Michael Schumacher did with Ferrari ahead of IndyCar debut
Mick Schumacher has a clear plan to use his father’s Formula 1 framework to build his own success in IndyCar.
The German driver is gearing up for his IndyCar debut this season, having signed for Rahal Letterman Laigan Racing (RLL) for 2026.
Schumacher, 26, is the son of F1 legend Michael, who won a record-breaking seven world championships, five of which came consecutively at Ferrari in the early 2000s. Mick’s stint in F1 was far shorter, completing two seasons for Haas before being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for 2023.
After a couple of seasons in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with Alpine, Schumacher is back in single-seater racing, and at the IndyCar pre-season press conference cut the figure of a driver who has matured since his F1 days, but is still keen to get out on track.
He said: “Everybody has been very welcoming - I’m really excited, racing is what we’re here for so I’m looking forward getting that underway.
“I’m trying to understand everything and put it all together. The team has been great and the car guys are amazing, so we are in a position to start the season on the right foot.
“The challenges come from it being so different, and understanding things like high lines, air dispersion and so on. It’s all new to me but I’m interested in learning all about that.”
Schumacher’s father earned his F1 success with Ferrari by building the team around him - enforcing changes that benefitted the Scudeira on their charge back to the front of the field.
Speaking to the media, the German has made it clear he plans to do the exact same at RLL, and already has some ideas he wants to see implemented.
Schumacher said: “I’ve been getting better at undersanding what really helps me - I am excited to build the team around me. I know what I want with the team and how we can achieve it.
“I love information, so push my engineers to talk to me as much as possible. I was vocal with my team about having a dual-way radio system, so somebody can reach me even if someone else is speaking.
“Where I come from that’s very common, where we have an open discussion while driving, so we want to figure that out.”