Mick Schumacher’s next career move has been confirmed
Mick Schumacher's next career move has been confirmed after months of speculation.
Following months of speculation about his future, Mick Schumacher will make the switch to IndyCar for 2026.
The move marks a full-time return to single-seater racing for the first time since the son of legendary seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher left F1 at the end of 2022.
Schumacher will contest the full 2026 IndyCar season, including the Indianapolis 500, with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
The 26-year-old German will drive the #47 Dallara DW12 for the 17-round campaign next year.
Since losing his Haas seat, Schumacher spent time as Mercedes’ reserve driver and has raced with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship for the past two years.
“I am delighted to confirm that I will be competing in the INDYCAR SERIES next year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, taking part in the full season,” Schumacher said.
“Having both an F1 and an endurance background, and having competed in various racing series over the years, I have insights and knowledge that I am sure will contribute to a great partnership. RLL prepared me extremely well during testing already, and I am sure that we can build a lot together.
“I was also immediately excited about the car and the American way of motorsport which comes across as being more about pure and direct racing, and it is precisely this aspect that I am very much looking forward to.
“And of course, I am curious about new experiences and always interested in broadening my horizons. For me, a new journey is beginning here, and I am excited for the season to start.”
Was a return to F1 ever on the cards?
Schumacher had a pretty underwhelming short-lived stint in F1 with Haas across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, having won the 2020 Formula 2 championship.
He never received a full-time chance with Mercedes or Alpine and his hopes of securing an F1 comeback quickly diminished as teams moved on to other drivers and locked down their line-ups.
Schumacher showed glimpses of being decent grand prix driver but lacked consistency, while he had several huge crashes that proved expensive for Haas.
He scored points twice in 43 starts, finishing eighth at the 2022 British Grand Prix, before following that up with sixth at the Austrian Grand Prix next time out.
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