– The start of the final weekend of the 2026 IndyCar series at Laguna Seca Raceway was turbulent – the session had to be interrupted twice with the red flag. Mick Schumacher (RLL-Honda; 15th) showed a promising start on the demanding track, where he had already tested on July 30. (Result 1st Free Practice)
Read more “Passenger door never opened”: The crazy story of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari F40
During the 40-minute collective phase of the session, the son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher initially hovered around the top 10, before the times in the group phase were significantly improved again at the end. Schumacher also managed an improvement to 1:10.837 minutes, which was enough for 15th place in a tightly packed field starting from P4.
“The test in Laguna went pretty well, we learned a lot from it, so I think that will help us to be fully competitive right from the start,” said the 27-year-old before the weekend began.
Photo gallery: The car designs of Mick Schumacher in the 2026 IndyCar season
“We had a good qualifying in Milwaukee, which will give us a good pit box for the race in Laguna, which will simplify strategy and everything else a bit. The goal is simply to finish with a good result. It would be nice to bring #47 into the Leaders Circle.” Schumacher will leave RLL after this weekend to join Meyer Shank Racing.
His teammate Louis Foster (RLL-Honda; 13th) was 0.057 seconds faster. However, the time of Graham Rahal (RLL-Honda; 6th) is encouraging. Schumacher was also the strongest rookie, with his two rookie colleagues finishing in positions 23 and 24.
The first free practice had to be interrupted twice, each time during the collective phase of the session. After 15 minutes, Josef Newgarden (Penske-Chevrolet; 19th) spun in turn 6, which leads towards the Corkscrew. The legendary corner was renamed “Zanardi Corkscrew” ahead of the practice.
Read more Red Bull out of the running: «Clear» problems in Monza
Newgarden stopped in such an unfortunate position that the race control decided to interrupt the session so the two-time champion could turn his Dallara-Chevrolet around. Another harmless spin was caused by veteran Scott Dixon (Ganassi-Honda; 12th) at the Andretti Hairpin right at the start of the lap. He is racing for the last time in his traditional #9 at Ganassi.
Later, there was a somewhat heavier crash when Santino Ferrucci (Foyt-Chevrolet; 21st) went off in the Rainey Curve (the downhill left-hander after the Corkscrew) due to a counter pendulum and crashed into the tire barriers.
The best time was set by the old and new champion Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda; 1st) in 1:09.899 minutes, thereby paying full tribute to the Alex Zanardi tribute design. Only Felix Rosenqvist (MSR-Honda; 2nd), who will move back to McLaren from Meyer Shank Racing, also broke the 1:10 minute mark.
Patricio “Pato” O’Ward (McLaren-Chevrolet; 3rd), the best-placed contender in the battle for the runner-up title, declared his ambitions. The Mexican is fourth in the championship after his double win at the Milwaukee Mile but is only four points behind the championship runner-up, Christian Lundgaard (McLaren-Chevrolet; 18th). Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti-Honda; 17th) is still between the two.
- Formula 1“Passenger door never opened”: The crazy story of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari F40
- IndyCarOfficial: Mick Schumacher to race IndyCar 2027 with Meyer Shank Racing
- Formula 1Ralf Schumacher after press conference scandal: Stella should “slow down a bit”
- MotoGPMarc Marquez shows the unvarnished picture of his right arm
The second practice starts on Saturday at 7 p.m. CEST. (All info on the IndyCar finale at Laguna Seca Raceway)
Read more Leclerc reveals form crisis: Thought about copying Hamilton
