– Mick Schumacher has completed the first four races of his rookie season in the IndyCar series. By now, he has competed in at least one race weekend on all track types – oval, road course, street circuit. (25 questions and answers about the 2026 IndyCar season with Mick Schumacher)
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Only the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a large oval (superspeedway) still awaits Mick Schumacher. At the end of April, there will be the official pre-test for the Indy 500 there. The free practice sessions for the Indy 500 take place in the second week of May.
In an interview with Motorsport-Total.com, Mick Schumacher talks about how he has settled in as a driver in the IndyCar series, what the biggest challenge for him currently is during race weekends, how the IndyCar series differs from Formula 1, what hopes and plans he has for the rest of the season, and how he thinks about the current Formula 1.
Question: “Mick, I’ll start with a simple question. You have now completed a few IndyCar races. How was it for you to be back in a car where you are the only driver? You no longer have to share the seat with someone else, as was the case in the WEC. How was it for you to return to this familiar situation?”
Mick Schumacher: “Really good, I enjoy it a lot. You know, just working and not having to make compromises, I think that’s the easiest way to explain it. Of course, there have been some personnel changes, which was not easy because you always have to adjust again.”
“But working with Eddie (Schumacher’s new race engineer Eddie Jones; editor’s note) at the Barber weekend was a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to going to Long Beach and talking with him there.”
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Question: “I don’t want to hold any prejudices here, I don’t want to form a one-sided opinion. I’ll leave that to you in this question. But what has been the most important insight for you since your switch to the IndyCar series?”
Schumacher: “Well, it’s obviously a bit different regarding the weekend schedule. It’s very different from anything I’ve driven before. Here you only have one practice on Friday, then you basically have the day off and move on to the next day. And on Saturday, things really happen quickly.”
“So whatever you have after the first free practice and plan, usually there isn’t much time to change it for qualifying. So you have to know pretty exactly what setup changes you want to make from Friday to Saturday. And that basically applies to Sunday as well.”
“That’s why I feel that in FP1 you basically have more time to get everything perfect or as perfect as possible, and then stick to that for the whole weekend. I think that’s the most important insight I’ve gained.”
“I just tried to really understand that. The approaches, the changes we can make, the options I have, and then really understand the timing of the weekend. I think that was the hardest part.”
IndyCar vs. Formula 1: Where the differences lie
Question: “I find it somehow interesting because I had the opportunity to report on a handful of Formula 1 races, and of course, I have spent most of my time in the IndyCar series. There is such a gap between one and the other side of the world in terms of perspectives. I don’t want to talk about superiority, but regarding the talent they have to offer, I’m just curious. Do you see more similarities between Formula 1 and the IndyCar series than many people might actually recognize? Or are the two racing series so extremely different that it makes sense there is such a big gap?”
Schumacher: “You left something out in this question, but overall I would say there are certainly similarities here and there. I think they differ a lot, for example, regarding the relationship between driver and car.”
“In the IndyCar series, they mostly try to do everything to adapt the car as well as possible to the driving style. In Formula 1, there has always been a different philosophy in this regard; they rely very heavily on data.”
Question: “That almost sounds like, in your opinion, it is more direct that you can orient yourself to the philosophy of a driver, instead of always having to subordinate yourself to the philosophy of an engineer. It almost sounds like an engineer adapts to your style. Is that correct?”
Schumacher: “Yes, that’s correct. In Europe, for example, I was generally very good at adapting to new things and adjusting. I think that’s probably a bit counterintuitive, but here it doesn’t really help me. Because no matter what we change on the car, I still adapt to the previous car.”
“So it’s always about finding the right feeling and the right philosophy between me and the car, so that I don’t start changing, adjusting, or adapting to something I had before. It’s about actually staying more consistent so that we can set up the car to work for me.”
What Mick Schumacher struggles with as an IndyCar rookie
Question: “In Formula 3 and Formula 2, it took you about two years to develop from getting used to it to having a chance to race at the front. Do you see this here as a similar timeframe? Even if you don’t consider yourself a rookie, although that is the label the IndyCar series wants to give you, but knowing what you have to learn about this racing series and the variety of different track types, do you see it that you will need about two years to get everything right and regularly race at the front, as you did in Formula 3 and Formula 2?”
Schumacher: “Yes, maybe. I think in Formula 3 and Formula 2 there were of course different circumstances that made it appear that way. I think here in IndyCar a lot simply depends on the fact that I don’t know the tracks. In most cases, before race weekends, I have no idea what to expect.”
“Basically, some of the other drivers, or most of the other drivers, I think even all of them, use their free practice time to actually work on the car, to work on the things they need to work on.”
“I, on the other hand, probably need 10 to 15 laps just to get familiar with the track. Those are 15 valuable laps that I actually can’t afford right now, but still need to get used to it first.”
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“So yes, maybe it takes a little longer, but I also think it’s a question of this field being very specialized in a way. I feel that many of the guys here have been driving this car for so many years that they have simply perfected the driving style.”
“Even though the car has been adjusted a bit recently, with the hybrid and so on, it is still a car that has basically been around for, how long now, 16 years?”
“That’s a long time. In Formula 1 or any other racing series I’ve driven in so far, nothing lasts longer than four years. So yes, that’s definitely something that might take some time. But I also think I just need a good weekend. That’s what we need.”
“Just a matter of time until we get everything sorted out”
“The thing is: We had a bit of bad luck in the past weekends. I think the essential thing is that it went super well on the oval [in Phoenix] in qualifying. But then it was of course not exactly easy to drive on an oval for the first time and be thrown in at the deep end right away.”
“And then the failure of the impact wrench didn’t exactly help to solidify the results that I think we could have achieved. Because the pace at all previous weekends was honestly on par with the guys running in the top 10.”
“Then came Barber and that was pretty much what the top drivers achieved once everything was under control. So, really great things are on the horizon. In my opinion, it’s just a matter of time until we get everything sorted out so that we can also achieve the results that are due to us.”
Question: “When I talk to Graham [Rahal] and a few other people, it stands out how you present yourself. You are an absolute professional regarding your habits, your learning, the extent of what you invest in this thing, and the effort you put into it. It almost sounds like you – I don’t want to call it too much pressure – but I’m curious: How much pressure do you put on yourself? And is there a point where you almost have to hold back a little and remember to have fun?”
Schumacher: “Well, I think there are two aspects. Motorsport in Europe is very different. It’s a very tough environment. It’s an environment where you have to learn to survive. And basically, I used to survive mostly by working harder than everyone else. Or at least I tried.”
“Of course, I can never judge how hard other people work, but I will definitely try to work as hard as I can under all circumstances, in every situation. Now that I have come here, my attitude is not to change that. Because if I change that and relax and have fun and so on, then I feel like I just won’t perform as well.”
“Because then you don’t put the necessary pressure on yourself. After all, it’s still my job. It’s still my task to give my best. And for that, I have to work really hard. Because, again, I am someone who has never seen these tracks before. So I have to work twice as hard to be able to keep up with the top drivers.” (Analysis: Mick Schumacher’s true IndyCar pace in detail)
How Mick Schumacher wants to bring in his European experience
Question: “Maybe this is a terrible follow-up question, but how much fun do you have driving the IndyCar car compared to other vehicles you have already driven and tested a few times? I’m curious to know what your conclusion is when you compare the IndyCar to other vehicles you have driven?”
Schumacher: “I love racing. And that’s exactly what makes it fun. Even if I said what I said earlier, that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun. Because it’s what I love most.”
“Driving an IndyCar car is extremely fun. It’s usually where the competition is the greatest. And it’s usually the moments when I, let’s say, feel the greatest satisfaction when things go well.”
“I am totally excited about this season and really looking forward to the rest of it. We still have so many beautiful race tracks ahead of us. Yes, sometimes there is still a little culture shock when I come to places like Arlington, for example. It’s just hellishly bumpy there, it’s so different. But still, it’s something that belongs to IndyCar racing, and it’s something that belongs to the fun and the flair.”
“Of course, I believe there is potential to improve that in the future. Definitely! But it’s still something I enjoy and can work on. And yes, I see myself somehow in a position where I can maybe help in terms of safety and what we can do to improve everything.”
“Because I have all the experience from European motorsport, whether in formula cars or sports cars. I know what was good and what was bad there, so hopefully we can all work together to make it great here.”
How Mick Schumacher thinks about the current Formula 1
Question: “Last question: There is currently a lot of harsh criticism about the way races are run in Formula 1. We have all somehow heard about it publicly. What do you think about it? Do you find the races as they are currently run in Formula 1 interesting at all?”
Schumacher: “I think the thing with Formula 1 is that it is constantly evolving. They will always work hard to solve and improve every problem they face. Sometimes it takes a little longer. Sometimes it happens faster, so to speak overnight.”
“I believe they will find a solution for what they are currently dealing with – no matter what problem they have. Formula 1 was and will certainly remain the pinnacle of motorsport for a very long time, and for good reason, simply because they are so good at reinventing themselves and trying to challenge the formula of their own championship a bit.”
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“If we look back to 2022, when the cars bottomed out so much, they found solutions for that by the end of the year. But beyond that, they made it one of the fastest cars ever within the next two to three years. So I don’t doubt that they will find a way to improve what they have to have fun again.”
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