After leaving Formula 1, Mick Schumacher is looking for new opportunities: IndyCar could be his new start, with sports cars merely a stopgap for him.
Mick Schumacher sees the US IndyCar series as an opportunity to revive his career in formula racing. He considers sports cars in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) to be merely a stopover, as he explained on the sidelines of the season race in Fuji.
Schumacher said: “I’ve always wanted to drive formula cars. Sports cars were fun, but monopostos are what I’m passionate about and what I love. I’m looking forward to getting back into it. “ The former Formula 1 driver emphasized that he is ”one hundred percent“ not done with a career in formula racing. The son of record champion Michael Schumacher entered the ”premier class” of motorsport as a Ferrari junior for the 2021 season and had completed two years for Haas in Formula 1.
Although Schumacher performed well in individual races, he lacked consistent results. In addition, there were numerous costly accidents. After his departure as a regular Formula 1 driver, Schumacher joined Mercedes as a test and reserve driver for 2023.
At the same time, the 26-year-old built up a new foothold in sports cars: in 2025, Schumacher is currently focusing entirely on his WEC commitment for French manufacturer Alpine.
Mick Schumacher’s “great option” in the USA
But with the IndyCar series, Schumacher now has a “great option” for a comeback in formula racing. He says: “IndyCar has great drivers, and you can see that the races are quite entertaining—with lots of duels. There are also many drivers I’ve raced against in the junior series. It’s going to be interesting.”
Unlike in Formula 1, however, Schumacher faces a new challenge in the US IndyCars: oval racing. So if Schumacher wants to seriously gain a foothold in the US, he will have to take on this special task, which other formula racing greats shy away from. Max Verstappen, for example, is not drawn to the oval.
Schumacher, on the other hand, sees it primarily as an experiment: “I want to try out different categories. I think it will be very different from here in the Hypercar class of the WEC, but also different from Formula 1.”
Schumacher’s IndyCar test in Indianapolis
Schumacher will find out exactly how different it will be during his first IndyCar test on October 13 in Indianapolis. What comes after that is still open. A return to sports cars is always possible, either parallel to an IndyCar program or afterwards, Schumacher says: “I’m still pretty young.”
However, his chances of a Formula 1 comeback continue to dwindle after the new Cadillac team recently made its driver decision and decided against Schumacher as a regular driver. The Formula 1 newcomer is relying on former Grand Prix winners Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.