Mick Schumacher also fails at the Q2 hurdle on the first permanent circuit of the year – Massive impact from Will Power – Pole for old acquaintance
Mick Schumacher (RLL-Honda) was also eliminated in Q1 of the first race of the 2026 IndyCar season on a permanent circuit. The son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher did not finish higher than tenth in his group at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, which means 20th place on the grid. (Q1 result, Group 2)
Schumacher had a very difficult group. He was even on course for Q2 in the first two sectors, but lost a tenth of a second in the dip in the third sector, which ultimately put him in the knockout zone. In the end, he was 0.093 seconds short of making it into the “Fast 12”. (Starting grid)
The fact that Scott McLaughlin (Penske-Chevrolet; 14th), another big name who drove in the replacement car after his serious accident in the second free practice session, was eliminated shows just how difficult it was. With Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Honda; 5th), David Malukas (Penske Chevrolet; 2nd), Romain Grosjean (Coyne Honda; 6th), Josef Newgarden (Penske Chevrolet; 9th), Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Honda; 8th) and Patricio “Pato” O’Ward (McLaren Chevrolet; 12th), six real heavyweights progressed.
The difficult group is all the more bitter for Mick because his team-mate Graham Rahal (RLL-Honda; 3rd), who had caught the other group, sensationally steered his car into Q3, eliminating some of the top favorites in the process. As in Phoenix, he made it onto the second row of the grid. Schumacher’s other team-mate, Louis Foster (RLL-Honda; 22nd), finished behind the German and was also eliminated in Q1.
The other two rookies, Dennis Hauger (Coyne-Honda; 24th) and Caio Collet (Foyt-Chevrolet; 21st), also finished behind Mick Schumacher. Scott Dixon (Ganassi-Honda; 13th) also failed to make it past Q1.
However, Schumacher’s task in Sunday’s race will be even tougher, as Barber Motorsports Park is one of the tracks where overtaking is extremely difficult. The hope now lies in a potentially chaotic race, as is often the case in IndyCars.
Schumacher had caused a surprise in the second free practice session, which had to be stopped early due to the McLaughlin accident, with a longer lead, but was unable to take this form into qualifying. He was in penultimate place for a long time before his final lap made him a serious Q2 contender for a long time.
There was also a hairy moment in qualifying when Will Power (Andretti Honda; 23rd) slammed head-on into the tire stack on his first flying lap, presumably with brake failure on the rear axle in the hairpin. The accident was reminiscent of Michael Schumacher’s crash at Silverstone in 1999, although the accelerator pedal was clearly not stuck.
“The brake pedal simply failed. We will find the problem. It’s not a big deal. I thought we would make it into the Fast 6, or at least the Fast 12. We’ve already had a few accidents this year. Unbelievable, but that’s how it goes sometimes,” says the veteran.
The pole position was secured by Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda; 1st), who took an extra set of fresh soft tires and therefore accepted a small disadvantage for the race in order to be at the front in qualifying. The Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix starts on Sunday evening at 19:17. The time changeover must be taken into account.
