Mick Schumacher receives a drive-through penalty for spinning Christian Lundgaard’s McLaren during the early stages of the IndyCar race in Arlington
Mick Schumacher suffered another setback in an IndyCar race: At the Arlington Grand Prix, the son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher received a drive-through penalty for spinning out Christian Lundgaard’s McLaren-Chevrolet during the opening stages of the race.
The incident officially occurred on Lap 2, but in practice it was still the starting lap because the race began on the back straight rather than at the start/finish line. The field had not yet fully sorted itself out when the collision with Lundgaard occurred in Turn 5.
Schumacher hit the American’s rear and spun him around. Lundgaard was able to continue under his own power. Schumacher also gained no advantage from the collision, as he had to drive around the McLaren and lost positions in the process. The drive-through penalty now sets him far back.
Christian Lundgaard goes for a spin in Turn 5 pic.twitter.com/BKpizZ58r3 — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 15, 2026
It was the first collision in an otherwise very disciplined opening lap, in which the chaos previously feared failed to materialize. Marcus Ericsson (Andretti-Honda) defended his pole position and leads ahead of Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda) and Will Power (Andretti-Honda).Nothing is lost yet for Schumacher, as street circuit races in IndyCar often involve unpredictable caution periods that can turn the field upside down. That’s why he was immediately told: “We have a clear run now. It’s no big deal.”
Several other cars also pitted early, though to get rid of the unpopular soft tires. Among them was Scott Dixon (Ganassi-Honda), who is considered a strategic mastermind. After the penalty, Schumacher quickly made two pit stops to quickly fulfill the requirement to use two sets of soft tires. He will be hoping for a yellow flag phase soon.
INDYCAR IS RACING IN ARLINGTON! pic.twitter.com/U89T16Dgdq — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 15, 2026
Nolan Siegel (McLaren-Chevrolet) also made a pit stop, and Kyffin Simpson used up the first of his two mandatory sets of soft tires. This resulted in a collision between Dixon and one of Simpson’s tires in the pits, which could also have consequences. Marcus Armstrong (Meyer-Shank-Honda) had also already pitted, though due to a slow puncture.
The street race in Arlington started an hour earlier than planned due to a storm warning.