Mick Schumacher set for IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Mick Schumacher will take his first steps into IndyCar next month, with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announcing that the German driver will participate in a private test at the Indianapolis road course on 13 October.

The 26-year-old, who currently competes in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine, will sample an IndyCar as he explores future opportunities in North America’s premier open-wheel series.

Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, made 43 F1 starts between 2021 and 2022 with the Haas F1 Team.

He was also present at this year’s Indianapolis 500 in May to start making connections within the IndyCar paddock.

Although he has been racing sportscars in recent seasons, Schumacher has stayed connected to single-seaters through his role as Mercedes F1 reserve driver, a position he held during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, taking part in several tests.

The announcement about Schumacher’s IndyCar test follows intense speculation over his future with Alpine in the WEC. While he initially seemed prime to join the Jota-run Cadillac squad next year, he is now being linked to a move to McLaren, which will join the Hypercar ranks with an LMDh car in 2027.

The upcoming outing at Indianapolis will mark his first experience behind the wheel of an IndyCar, giving him the chance to understand the series’ technical characteristics and physical demands.

“I am very much looking forward to driving my first IndyCar test,” Schumacher said. “A big thank you to the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team for giving me this opportunity. The same goes for driving this car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time, a race track with a big history and one that my dad has driven on before. I am excited to see which special features it holds.

“I am very curious to understand the characteristics of this race car, which is different from the cars I am used to driving, yet similar. I remain very interested in gaining experience in the diverse world of motorsport. It’s no secret that I am a big fan of single-seater racing, so this first IndyCar test will be an experience to treasure, and I am very much looking forward to driving a car where I can see my wheels.”

The test will take place on the same layout used for the Indianapolis road course race, where RLL drivers Graham Rahal, Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco qualified second, third and fifth respectively earlier this year.

Rahal led 49 of the 85 laps before finishing sixth, in what was the team’s strongest weekend of the 2025 season.

RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal, a three-time IndyCar champion and 1986 Indy 500 winner, expressed his excitement about welcoming Schumacher to the team: “I have followed Mick’s career from afar as well as that of his father, so the thought of seeing him in one of our race cars is very exciting.

“I think it’s going to be a great day for RLL and also for Mick, as he gets his first experience in an Indy car. Obviously, he’s got a great deal of talent, and knowing that we’ve had pretty good setups for the IMS road course, it should give him a good baseline to start from.”

Jay Frye, president of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, added: “This is an amazing opportunity for RLL to test an elite talent like Mick and bring two legendary motorsport families together.”