By Noah Poser
Mick Schumacher has twice raced in the Monaco Grand Prix. He has competed in two 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 10th overall in last year’s event. On Sunday, he’ll face a new challenge: taming the Indy oval in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
“I’m obviously really looking forward to the race,” Schumacher said, speaking in German. “It’s definitely one of the biggest races in the world, and I can compare it to races like Monaco or Le Mans. From that perspective, I’m really looking forward to it finally happening and to getting out there and racing.
“It’s going to be a long race, of course. I mean, it’s three hours – three hours in the car, driving in circles. That’s obviously different from what I’m used to, let’s put it that way, and so I’m looking forward to the experience.”
The hope is that his second oval race, and the potential for a strong result in the biggest event on the calendar, can serve as a launch pad for a much-needed reset for Schumacher and his team.
The 27-year-old is in the midst of a challenging rookie season driving the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, with a best finish of 17th at Long Beach in April. He was on track to better that result on the Indy road course a couple of weeks ago, but a penalty for avoidable contact while racing just outside the Top 10 in the final laps dropped him to 20th.
He sits 25th in the INDYCAR standings, last among full-time drivers.
But despite qualifying 27th, there is reason for optimism ahead of his Indy 500 debut. His best moment this season came at Phoenix, where he stunned the field by qualifying fourth in his first oval race.
Obviously, the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a different beast than the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway, but the confidence from that run – paired with the encouragement and wealth of knowledge shared by those around him – sets the stage for a potential breakthrough.
“I think who I’m relying on most is probably the team,” Schumacher said. “Graham (Rahal) is part of that team. I have Ryan Briscoe, who is really helpful. Andy Brown and Gavin Ward on my stand. Those people have so much experience. Even Bobby (Rahal) – he’s always texting us before the session saying, ‘Go out there and have fun.’
“These things really mean a lot. That’s something that’s very new to me, in the sense that you feel so much support from every angle and every aspect from the team but also outside the team. People have been so generous, saying, ‘Whatever you need, I’ll share my info with you.’ That has been really, really helpful.”
That support has only added to Schumacher’s excitement for his first attempt at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“I’m just excited to go out there and experience that for the first time and come back and know exactly what questions I’ll have to ask next year.”
If Schumacher takes the green flag Sunday and returns in 2027 for a second Indy 500 start, the German would join elite company. He would become just the 15th driver to compete in each of the three Triple Crown races two or more times.