– After the third yellow phase, it looked like a surprise coup by Mick Schumacher in the IndyCar series. Between laps 70 and 72, Schumacher sensationally sniffed at the first IndyCar podium of his career. But then the radio went out, which was the beginning of the end of the possible fairy tale.
Read more GTWC Monza: KVDL apologizes after second major crash
“That was obviously a very disappointing end,” Schumacher sums up. “Up to that yellow phase, we had done everything absolutely right strategically. But exactly during that caution, we lost the radio. From that moment on, I was completely on my own.”
Without the instructions from his pit crew and the necessary data, Schumacher could not set the car to the crucial parameters for the restart. Schumacher slid around completely hopelessly.
“I was simply driving with the wrong car settings. That was the hardest lap ever. I got hit a few times and was basically just trying to survive somehow,” he describes the dramatic seconds after the green signal on lap 72.
The seemingly bitter end followed promptly in turn 5: In a battle with David Malukas for third place, Schumacher slid straight into the tire stacks with the wrong car settings. The charging Malukas had no chance to avoid and was taken out as well.
“I then slid straight there with Malukas. That is extremely disappointing because it would have been a really decent result for us,” says Schumacher.
Photo gallery: Mick Schumacher’s results in the 2026 IndyCar season
David Malukas, Schumacher’s opponent at the restart, could not believe his eyes: “His tires were already more worn, but I never expected it to be that bad. I wasn’t even driving fast, and he was already completely sliding.”
Read more Antonelli rejection to Ferrari: «The goal is to win with Mercedes»
“We already had a moment in turn 1. Then he braked too late on the downhill section. He simply couldn’t slow down and took me with him. That was very unfortunate. But I also have to say that the whole weekend was one of the worst I’ve ever had. I really have to reset now.”
Radio out, GPS problem and illegal pit stop
After that, Schumacher’s race was definitively ruined. Because the team worked on the subsequent emergency stop in the pits even though it was still closed, the German received a drive-through penalty on lap 83. This was likely a consequence of the broken radio.
Soon after, he had to come in again because race control ordered a repair of the broken radio on the Dallara-Honda #47. As if that wasn’t enough, the GPS signal of his car also failed, so he was not even listed in the official timing system for several laps. This created confusion because he was initially reported as retired but then appeared again in the results.
In the end, the rookie was left with only the disappointing 21st place in the standings after the interim high. With now 75 points, Schumacher ranks 25th in the overall standings.
Despite the severe setback, Schumacher found conciliatory words for his crew: “The team did a fantastic job during the pit stops and guided me superbly through the race. I really appreciate that and only owe it to them that we were even in this great position.”
His next chance is directly the following weekend at the oval race in St. Louis. On the first short oval since Phoenix, Schumacher will try to build on his good performance there.
Read more Manthey loses chief engineer to SSR: Top successor solution for Preining
