Schumacher to take part in first IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
- Dan Jones
- 6h
- 3 min read
Mick Schumacher will conduct a first IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) in October ahead of the team finalising their line-up for the 2026 IndyCar season. Schumacher, son of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael, will test with the team on October 13th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
Schumacher raced in Formula One between 2021 and 2022 for Haas before he was dropped in favour of Nico Hülkenberg. Schumacher currently competes in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for Alpine alongside Jules Gounon and Fréderic Makowiecki in the No.36 entry.
The team state that the test will give Schumacher an opportunity to "familiarise himself with the technical specifications of the IndyCar Series with an eye toward possible participation in the future."
“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 that my dad has driven on before. I am excited to see which special features it holds.
“I am very curious to understand the special features and characteristics of this race car, which is different from the cars I am used to driving, yet similar, and I remain very interested in gaining experience in the diverse world of motorsport. Great to be able to see what it is all about and how difficult it is, since I hear a lot about how tough it is physically. It is not a secret that I am big fan of single seater racing after all, 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.”
Schumacher adds to a growing list of drivers who participated in the Formula 2 championship to take part in IndyCar. From the drivers that participated in Schumacher's title-winning F2 campaign in 2020, Callum Ilott, Robert Shwartzman, Christian Lundgaard and Marcus Armstrong raced full-time in the IndyCar Series in 2025. Théo Pourchaire, Luca Ghiotto and Jüri Vips have also participated in IndyCar races previously whilst Jack Aitken and Felipe Drugovich have tested Indy car machinery.
“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," said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of RLL. "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.”
The team currently have two of their three entries confirmed for 2025. Graham Rahal is set to return to his father's team once again in the No.15 whilst Louis Foster enters the second year of his multi-year deal as he enters his sophomore season in the No.45 entry. The No.30 entry was driven by Devlin DeFrancesco in 2025 but his future at the team remains unclear after the Canadian failed to reach the threshold for the additional funding provided by IndyCar's Leaders' Circle.
The No.30 entry has been an inconsistent entry in recent seasons, with Pietro Fittipaldi driving the car full-time in 2024, after Jack Harvey, Conor Daly and Vips shared the car in 2023. Lundgaard drove the car in his rookie IndyCar season in 2022 whilst Takuma Sato was at the helm in 2021.
“This is an amazing opportunity for RLL to test an elite talent like Mick and bring two legendary motorsports families together," said RLL Team President, Jay Frye.
Schumacher has not been a name linked with the IndyCar driver market in recent weeks but could be another name to add into the ever-growing hat for potential candidates for a 2025 seat. Linus Lundqvist, Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly remain some of the top free agents left in the market, some of whom have previously been linked to the No.30 seat.
Some 19 years after Michael Schumacher last raced at the Brickyard, the Schumacher name will return to the 'Racing Capital of the World' as Mick completes a first IndyCar test.
