IndyCar Detroit 2026: First collision, then no radio for Mick Schumacher

– Mick Schumacher finished his debut race on the notorious downtown street circuit in Detroit eight laps down. The German was classified in 21st place after having to come into the pits due to a radio failure.

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Previously, it seemed as if he had been given the biggest opportunity of the current season. His team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing brought Schumacher, who had slowly worked his way up from 23rd on the grid, in early for the final pit stop. This brings the chance to gain positions in the IndyCar series if a yellow phase is called shortly after the stop.

And indeed, Schumacher was lucky: just as he was leaving the pits, Santino Ferrucci (Foyt-Chevrolet) and Rinus “VeeKay” van Kalmthout (Juncos-Chevrolet) collided, triggering one of the six cautions in this race.

Since most of the field had not yet stopped and the pit lane is closed under yellow until the field has gathered behind the pace car, Schumacher was effectively second behind Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda; 1st) at the restart. The actual second place, Alexander Rossi (ECR-Chevrolet), still had to serve a penalty.

As it turned out only after the race, Schumacher should not have been allowed to keep the position either. He was given a penalty afterwards because the pit lane was already closed at the time he entered for his pit stop. In such cases, tenths of a second can make a difference.

Schumacher had major problems finding the right grip at the restart. This had also been the case in previous restarts. As a result, David Malukas (Penske-Chevrolet) immediately attacked him. The battle lasted several corners and involved contact.

Before turn 5, Schumacher braked too late and took Malukas with him. This dropped both to the back of the field. It is currently unclear whether Schumacher’s car was damaged at this point due to the duel.

Malukas then lost four laps in the pits, while Schumacher initially continued. After 85 of the 100 laps to be completed, he finally came to the pits. This happened on the instructions of race control because the radio on his car was no longer working. His Dallara-Honda was repaired for eight laps, then he limped to the finish in 21st place.

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Palou untouchable in Detroit

The race was won by Alex Palou with a dominant performance and the right strategic decisions. Starting from pole, he initially had to yield to Will Power (Andretti-Honda; DNF) and then even fell back to fourth place while trying to regain the lead.

At the first stop, he took the lead with an undercut and never gave it up. Even at the last stop, he was one of the few who had already pitted before the yellow phase. Ultimately, he had to survive two more cautions – one due to the battle between Schumacher and Malukas, and another when Rossi failed a dummy move while attacking Romain Grosjean (Coyne-Honda; 20th).

Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti-Honda) took second place, being the only one able to somewhat keep up with Palou’s speed. However, he could no longer respond in the final sprint because he had to use the softer tires, which were less advantageous in this race. By regulation, two sets of soft tires must be used in a street circuit race. Palou had saved the hard tires for the last stint.

Behind them, Power and Scott McLaughlin (Penske-Chevrolet; 19th) went too far. First, McLaughlin squeezed Power into the wall, breaking his suspension. Power retaliated by driving McLaughlin in front of a car, forcing his former teammate to make a repair stop. Power was so upset that he also insulted a cameraman in the pit lane.

Thus, Graham Rahal (RLL-Honda; 3rd) inherited the last podium spot. The veteran was initially spun around by Kyffin Simpson (Ganassi-Honda; 9th) and then took a risk with strategy. It paid off. He also kept calm in the chaos and was ultimately rewarded. Schumacher’s other teammate, Louis Foster (RLL-Honda), finished seventh.

Noteworthy is the performance of Josef Newgarden (Penske-Chevrolet; 10th), who fought through the race despite his injury from the Indy 500 and ultimately secured a top-10 finish. The former champion was among at least seven cars with Chevrolet engines that received a new unit before the race due to faulty valves.

The IndyCar series continues its hectic weeks after the Indy 500 already next weekend. On the night of May 6 to 7, the second race of the season on a short oval will take place in St. Louis. (IndyCar calendar 2026)

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