– The contract confirmation of Mick Schumacher at Meyer Shank Racing for the 2027 IndyCar season is causing excitement with his future teammate Marcus Armstrong. For the New Zealander, the German is no stranger: both share a long-standing common past in European motorsport.
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“We were already teammates in karting when we were about 13 years old,” Armstrong recalls the first common beginnings. “During the time at Ferrari [Driver Academy], we were practically teammates for about five years. So we know each other extremely well.”
The familiarity from youth days greatly facilitates the start for the new MSR duo. “Is it a good feeling to work with him? Definitely yes. I think it will be a very good combination,” says the 26-year-old New Zealander confidently.
Although Armstrong was previously close friends with Felix Rosenqvist, his departure is painful, but: “It’s cool to have someone on the team again whom I am very familiar with.”
Shared years at Prema and in Maranello
The parallels in the careers of Schumacher and Armstrong are striking. Both went through the school of European formula racing and celebrated their greatest successes in the junior series for the same team: the Italian traditional team Prema.
In Formula 3 in 2018, the two even shared the garage directly at Prema. While Schumacher continued his winning streak in the second half of the season and secured the title, Armstrong finished fifth overall in his first Formula 3 season.
Furthermore, both were pillars of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) for years. Armstrong was already admitted to Maranello’s junior squad at the end of 2016, Schumacher joined at the beginning of 2019. In the following years, both not only completed joint simulator and technical sessions in Italy but also raced together in Formula 2 in 2020.
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Again, Schumacher won the championship with a strong second half of the season for Prema. Armstrong had a strong start to the season at ART as teammate of Christian Lundgaard, who is also active in the IndyCar series, with two podiums in the first two weekends. Then he went off track and finished only 13th in the championship.
Formula 1 experience as an asset for Meyer Shank Racing
Armstrong sees Schumacher’s deep insights into the top class after two Formula 1 years at Haas and his time as a reserve driver at Mercedes as a huge advantage for the Meyer Shank team.
“We come from a similar environment and have both raced together in Europe,” explains Armstrong. “But it is always valuable when someone brings the perspective from Formula 1. Especially because of the enormous technological progress there, it is a real gain to have someone on the team who was recently involved there.”
Technically, Armstrong also trusts his old acquaintance a lot: “Mick is extremely fit and well structured when it comes to the technical side. I think overall this will push us as a team in exactly the right direction.”
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Together with the technical alliance between Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing, Armstrong sees the team excellently positioned for 2027: “The whole structure will definitely get a new vibe next year, and it is great to have Mick on board.”
