MSR team principal Mike Shank expects Mick Schumacher to show a significant improvement in the 2027 IndyCar Series – Why he believes in the German
“I expect him to be fighting for a place in the top 10. Full stop.” This not only reflects his expectations but also shows just how much potential the co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing sees in the German.
“If you look at the early years of many of today’s top-five or top-ten drivers, their debut season wasn’t good,” explains Shank. This applies to almost 90 per cent of the field. “It’s simply a rite of passage you have to go through. It’s an extremely difficult series. He’s been through it and had a tough time, but he’s also had his moments of brilliance.”
Following his debut year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Schumacher is moving to MSR for his second US season. The transition from Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) to the demanding US formula series was not without its setbacks – a learning process that, according to Shank, almost every newcomer has to go through.
Mike Shank and his business partner Jim Meyer see Schumacher as exactly the type of driver the team prefers to work with. “Mick is exactly our sort of driver,” says Shank. “He’s in a position where people aren’t quite sure about him. We see his potential and want to know where this journey is heading.”
For the second season, the team boss’s message is therefore clear: “His rookie year is behind him. From now on, he has to finish in the top 10. That’s our target – and if we’re really good, hopefully a bit further up the order. We’re expecting a big step forward from him next year.”
The fact that Schumacher is the son of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher and thus comes from a wealthy family plays absolutely no part in Shank’s working relationship with him. He has made this clear to both Mick and his mother, Corinna.
Shank himself is regarded as the prime example of a self-made success story who, coming from a working-class background, has realised the American dream. In the 1990s, he even mortgaged his house to fund his own team.
“I told his family: I haven’t signed Michael Schumacher,” emphasises the 60-year-old. “I may have grown up with him and he was a brilliant driver, but that doesn’t matter to me. For me, it’s all about Mick – where he’s heading and what he can achieve for himself and for us. That’s all that matters to me.”
Ultimately, it’s simply about their shared sporting goals in the tough IndyCar environment. “This isn’t about his father, but about what he can achieve for us, our partners and sponsors,” Shank clarifies.
“We want to win our third Indy 500, and he’s got what it takes. There will be good times and bad times, but I’ve signed Mick Schumacher – not Michael.”
