Ryan Briscoe: “Mick Schumacher very open to learning new things”
- James Scott
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
2012 Indy 500 pole winner and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) driver coach Ryan Briscoe has been “very impressed” with how Mick Schumacher has taken to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and the Month of May.
Schumacher will become the first German driver to start the race since 1946, and seems to be taking everything in his stride as preparations ramp up for qualifying ahead of the 110th Indy 500.
Speaking before the Fast Friday practice session, Briscoe said: “He's just so open to all the new ideas and everything that's different about oval racing, like staggered tyres and all of that and how that changes your approach to steering and to setting up a car.”
“He's just super receptive to all the new things he has to learn. [He's] spent so much time studying the data, spending time with the engineers. He's been super impressive and he's been really smart out there.”
Schumacher came under fire after the Open Test when he described IMS as “interesting to drive, though I would say that a short oval personally was a lot more impressive.”
However, Briscoe believes that a more measured approach to the Indy 500 will help Schumacher in the long run.
Briscoe said “[he needs to] try to not be too overwhelmed by the speedway [IMS] and treat it like another race.”
“From my own experience, the more times I came here, the more difficult it became, just because it means more to you, and that's sometimes the advantage of being a rookie here.”
“The G-forces that you feel [from Phoenix] with the high downforce on a short oval is like super crazy, and then and then you come to the Speedway [IMS] and there's all this hype but you're forced into doing an ROP [Rookie Orientation Program] so you're driving around at three-quarter throttle.”
“You're not allowed to really take it to the limit but you know today [it will be] high boost, low downforce. It gets fast, it gets a little bit scary. So every day is a new experience here and he's just going through the process of it all.”
Ryan Briscoe himself has a plethora of experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, having
started the race from both 33rd and the pole. He crashed in qualifying in 2011 and had to bump his Team Penske car into the field, before winning the pole the following year.
As a driver coach, Briscoe was part of a PREMA team who won the pole in 2025. Robert Schwartzman became the first rookie driver to start the race from first in 42 years. After moving to RLL in January, Briscoe is confident his breadth of experience will help him prepare Schumacher for every situation.
“I'm sort of trying to be the guy that I would have liked to have had when I was racing. The drivers are so busy with commitments with media and marketing and autograph sessions and stuff. Sometimes I can spend a bit more time looking at the stuff that the drivers really want to look at and sometimes the engineers miss.”
“It's been a great role. I'm really enjoying it. It feels like rewarding to help the drivers. Mick being a rookie this year, he's been fantastic to work with. So yeah, just enjoying myself. It's great to be at the speedway and a little bit less pressure not being in the car.
“I've had the highs and lows here for sure. I think that helps. I try to give that advice from my own experiences whether they've been good and bad.”
“The to-dos and what not to-dos. Having experienced all ends of it, I've started on pole. I've also started dead last when I replaced Hinchcliffe in 2015. So, you know, understanding what all that turbulence feels like or what it's like starting on the front row.”
Fast Friday was delayed by two hours thanks to heavy morning rain, a situation less than ideal for Schumacher as he experiences the qualifying boost for first time.
Briscoe said: “We got the weather today, so that sort of increases the anxiety for everyone. It's going to get really busy out there. Everyone wants to get clean air today to get a qualify run.”
“So I've already sort of explained it's going to take a lot of patience, you might have to be sitting in the car a long time. Things that a rookie might not think about so, you know, it's hopefully we can keep it safe and go fast out there today.”
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