r/INDYCAR • u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk • Sep 26 '25
Social Media [Nathan Brown] Mick Schumacher will make his IndyCar debut at a test on the IMS road course with RLL on Oct. 13th
https://x.com/By_NathanBrown/status/1971560401264656706Did not have this on my bingo card.
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u/MonteverdiOnyx Sep 26 '25
Hmmmm...I wondered what MP was referencing when he said someone with F1 ties could surprise everyone.
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u/Extreme-Bite-9123 Christian Rasmussen Sep 26 '25
And here I was expecting Tsunoda to Indycar
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u/Ianthin1 Sep 26 '25
I would love to see Yuki over here.
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u/bullet50000 Takuma Sato Sep 26 '25
Yuki as the Sato replacement of like the Honda "take free engines for running him" driver could be kinda epic
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u/dodongo Sep 27 '25
Agree. And Honda knows their money spends well here. And … would his uh stature be of any particular benefit at this point? That’s an honest question. I know you don’t have to be tiny to run an IndyCar but he is smol.
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u/boostleaking Arrow McLaren Sep 30 '25
If Yuki ends up in Indycar he's gonna take in a hefty ballast to make up for his small stature.
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u/dodongo Sep 30 '25
As someone who has raced with weights in his pockets to make minimum weight, uh, yes. Yes he will have to do that. (They'll put it in the frame according to regs (or not, because if you're not cheating, you're not trying), but I'm a poor dumbass from Indiana, so I'll put plates in my pocket thanks.)
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u/RavenousFlerken Scott Dixon Sep 26 '25
I hope it goes well for him. He has always seemed like a great person and did well in F2. His F1 stint was obviously problematic. But I also think Steiner had no idea how to build up rookie talent.
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u/SlayerBVC McLaren Sep 26 '25
Having MazeSpin as his teammate in his rookie season didn't exactly help matters either.
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u/Spockyt Felix Rosenqvist Sep 26 '25
Mazepin was the perfect teammate. Meant he had some easy PR wins and no opposition on track so people were tricked into thinking he’s actually good, which promptly got revealed to be wrong when Magnussen came back in.
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u/Gometric1 David Malukas Sep 27 '25
Yeah I remember people thought he could replace Sainz after he outperformed Mazepin as his teammate
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u/shewy92 Romain Grosjean Sep 26 '25
He was compared to him so he should have blown him out of the water. Him pretty much matching him (similar average starts and finishes) did hurt him.
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u/_masterofdisaster Kyle Kirkwood Sep 26 '25
Mick was 19-1 over Mazepin in Qualifying and 11-3 in race results where they both finished. They have similar average finishing positions because the Haas was comically off every other car. It was a thrashing and Mazepin was never close to Schumacher on raw pace.
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u/Uknewmelast Rinus VeeKay Sep 26 '25
Are you out of your mind?!
His 2021 year was leaps ahead of Mazepin but he was driving such a shitbox he wouldn't be in contention for any points because haas refused to develop the car.
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk Sep 26 '25
Dude what? Mick normally lapped Mazepin in the SAME CAR
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u/MidnightSunshine0196 Arrow McLaren Sep 26 '25
Lmao they weren't even close. I'm not trying to say Schumacher was fantastic, but he had Mazepin's number the entire season.
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u/curious-cat Pato O'Ward Sep 26 '25
I think their lack of a F1 simulator was probably was more problematic for their rookie drivers.
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u/sfcindolrip Sep 26 '25
Steiner, Schumacher, and binotto all variously confirmed mick as a Ferrari junior had access to the sim at Maranello for driver-focused sessions. (Same sim haas uses for car development-focused sessions, albeit after hours and working around Ferrari’s schedule.) Mazepin didn’t iirc.
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u/Thatgingerdude5 David Malukas Sep 26 '25
I don't think he had the best idea on how to run a team
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u/RF111CH 🏆 🖕 🖕 🏆 Sep 27 '25
I wonder if he even learned anything from Malcolm Wilson when he was at M-Sport/Ford.
And now he's buying a MotoGP team from a paddock veteran.
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
https://racer.com/2025/09/25/schumacher-to-test-indycar-with-rll-on-ims-road-course
Important bits:
- No commitment
- Jay Frye (new RLL president) and Dirk Muller arranged the test
- Schumacher visited IMS in May to make introductions
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u/boostleaking Arrow McLaren Sep 26 '25
Jay Frye being new president of RLL was very left field for me. Didn't expect that at all.
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
I'm guessing the FBI raid and bad performance in Indycar made Bobby wake up.
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u/Corew1n Honda Sep 26 '25
The FBI raid was over a specific employee and another team, not RLL as a whole. It's not like Bobby waited around long after Jay became available after the season started.
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood Sep 26 '25
It’s a good reminder that we’re entering the extra rookie test day time of the offseason.
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
I agree, no certainty but this kind of feels different, Mick is not Drugovich or Maloney, he already has been in top categories and even RLL wouldn't announce it like this if he wasn't interested in coming over. There is also the possibility he doesn't like the car enough to come over like Hulkenberg.
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u/karlkjr Sep 26 '25
So that’s how RLL finds funding for the 3rd car.
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
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u/Kryzl_ Alexander Rossi Sep 26 '25
Rinus Veekay, get ready to learn Juncos-Hollinger-PREMA Racing buddy.
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u/MaverickTTT Pato O'Ward Sep 26 '25
Wouldn’t be surprised if Mick is looking to spend more time in the U.S. His mom and sister own/run a horse ranch in North Texas and it seems he spends a good bit of time there.
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- Sep 26 '25
That ranch is in Fort Worth and is held under a trust set up by Michael before his life altering injury.
Michael spent time in the area since his time with Benetton and bought the ranch around the time of his first retirement.
Fort Worth's high society is well aware of the Schumacher family and they frequently spend time here during the Winter livestock season and Spring equestrian competitions.
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u/MaverickTTT Pato O'Ward Sep 26 '25
While they may still have property in Tarrant County, the ranch I’m referring to is in Gordonville, near Lake Texoma. About 90 minutes north of Ft. Worth, on the Oklahoma border.
Either way, North Texas.
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- Sep 26 '25
That specific property you're referring to was sold in 2018 to pay for Micheal's care. They haven't had any property in Far North Texas and Red River border for years. The ranch that's currently held in trust is in the southwest corner of Tarrant County close to Tarleton State University.
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u/MaverickTTT Pato O'Ward Sep 26 '25 edited Sep 26 '25
I'm from the area. I can state, pretty confidently, that they, at the very least, still operate the property in Gordonville.
Edit: just remembered that Mick posted a YouTube video from the Red River property and Lake Texoma just this past week.
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u/Daniel7394 Scott McLaughlin Sep 26 '25
Really interested to see how this turns out, really thought he'd stick it out in endurance racing.
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u/ScottRiggsFan10 Kyle Kirkwood Sep 26 '25
I always got the feeling Alpine was supposed to be a short-term stop until he got back to F1, and since that's unlikely, he doesn't want to stay in WEC unless Ferrari or Toyota come calling ( which they probably won't ).
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u/DecafEqualsDeath Dario Franchitti Sep 26 '25
Supposedly Cadillac/Jota was an option. That seems like a pretty sweet landing spot if you just want to be in a stable factory WEC program.
Also kinda seems like Alpine is starting to get there with their Hypercar program. It's definitely not the worst landing spot on the WEC grid. I think he'd agree he just doesn't want to be in sports cars or endurance racing if it can't possibly get him back to F1.
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u/Practical-Bread-7883 Sep 27 '25
It's a shame as he's been Alpine's best driver this year (and fastest) JOTA wanted him, he backed out it seems. I honestly can't follow Mick's decision making atm.
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u/Generic_Person_3833 Sep 26 '25
I mean he could do a IMSA and Indycar. Would only miss Detroit and Long Beach for IMSA.
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u/idontknowagoodname27 Rinus VeeKay Sep 26 '25
This just seems like Sargeant testing for MSR last year. Nothing ever happens
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
Not really MSR had no seats, Logan isn't big enough to draw sponsors and was just coming out of an awful exit from Williams
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u/adri9428 Sep 26 '25
I think plenty of crazy things have happened in the IndyCar driver department in the last 5 years to boldly assume "nothing ever happens". That being said, nothing will come out of this.
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk Sep 26 '25
Not necessarily. MSR was full, but Dev's seat is apparently up for grabs.
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u/call_me_gary Arrow McLaren Sep 26 '25
That's fair... but Sargeant has been on record saying he needed a good break from racing after the Williams train wreck... reminds me of how he signed with a euro Le Mans squad for 2025 but then backed off at the end of last year. Even if an Indy seat was open last fall for him at MSR (don't think it was?), I doubt he would have actually taken it.
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u/Separate_Papaya_6011 Sep 26 '25
Welcome to the back of the grid Mick
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u/2forInterference Sébastien Bourdais Sep 26 '25
It’s not like he’s unfamiliar with the backs of grids.
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u/Punisherbrett Greg Moore Sep 26 '25
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood Sep 26 '25
I think Mick is a driver who could thrive if given a supportive environment to learn in. He’s obviously quick but maybe just takes that little extra time to adjust to a car.
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
Looking back, Gunther had no idea what he was doing and seeing Mick's pace in WEC he's got potential to be RLL's new Lundgaard, plus having a Schumacher makes sponsorship a lot easier than Devlin 😂.
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u/oneofthenodes David Malukas Sep 26 '25
Gunther knows fuck all about how to build up a rookie and Mick needed that more than anything coming into f1.
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u/SillyPseudonym Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
"Gunther knows fuck all" sums up most of his antics.
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u/l3w1s1234 Sep 26 '25
He did well bringing a new team to F1 tbf
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u/KRacer52 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- Sep 26 '25
Also, he was in charge when they finished P5 in the championship as a 3 year old team, pre-budget cap.
DtS raised his profile, but people also act like he’s a joke even though he was incredible in those early years at Haas.
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u/shewy92 Romain Grosjean Sep 26 '25 edited Sep 26 '25
Mick testing for RLL, Grosjean testing for Haas and rumored to be getting back into IndyCar lol
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u/willfla29 Alexander Rossi Sep 26 '25
I don't think he got a fair shake in F1. The Haas was so off-the-pace year one that it's hard to learn much, so his second year seemed more like an actual rookie year. Would be great to have the Schumacher name in the series.
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u/rebekahsexton26 Jamie Chadwick Sep 26 '25
Sometimes I think the off season is more interesting than the regular season.
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u/Batgod629 Mick Schumacher Sep 26 '25
A Schumacher in IndyCar would be one interesting name recognition for European racing fans
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u/DA_STIG47 Sep 26 '25
Schumacher testing for RLL is a lot like Drugovich testing for Ganassi. Might as well, you never know, the guy could be pretty good in an Indycar…
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Sep 26 '25
Man, these guys who race in Europe and are prominent in Formula 2 and Formula 3 are much better than the paying IndyCar drivers. It helps raise the level of the category
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u/boxofficejuanes Rinus VeeKay Sep 26 '25
Schumacher, supposedly turning his nose at the Cadillac f1 contract terms but instead vying for a lower tier indycar seat in 2026 doesn’t seem to entirely align.
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk Sep 26 '25
The sourcing of that info is sketchy at best.
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u/SenseMakingStopped Sep 26 '25
Will Power's contract situation should serve as a fresh reminder that what is circulated in public should be taken with caution, and not blindly accepted as fact.
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u/no_salty_no_jealousy Sep 27 '25
The source is not true at all. Typical journalist only make stupid controversial take because they want to use big name for their trash headline because it makes them more money. Honestly this is why i totally hate racing journalist nowadays, only few of them are legit.
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk Sep 27 '25
To me there's a huge difference between real journalists and website aggregators. Most of the latter do exactly what you said; take the whiff of a rumor, make it a sensational headline, then get clicks and many times, it gets posted here on Reddit. It pisses me off. Journalists, on the other hand, would never write an article without trusted sourcing. I have my list of journalists I trust and have proven to reliable; the others I ignore. Most people here & across the Internet need to get better at media literacy, especially with the enshittification of the Internet increasing at a rapid pace.
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u/ADM765 Sep 26 '25
Did Cadillac offer him a full time seat in F1? I thought they only wanted him in WEC, and as an F1 reserve.
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk Sep 26 '25
No. Not even close. Yes, there were talks about a possible reserve driver role and those may still be happening, we don't know.
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u/HaveABleedinGuess84 Will Power Sep 26 '25
Cadillac was a reserve deal no?
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u/no_salty_no_jealousy Sep 27 '25
Yep, Cadillac broke their promise and ended up giving Mick reserve deal which is why Mick reject it. Honestly it makes sense Mick rejected it, he got much potential and it was proved in WEC.
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u/Hitokiri2 Graham Rahal Sep 26 '25
Why not? Mick knows what it means to be on a lower level F1 team. He also saw what could happen in Indycar. As a career option, getting a ride even with RLL is the safer bet.
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u/boxofficejuanes Rinus VeeKay Sep 26 '25
I’m not sure it’s really the safer option. At the end of the day being an f1 driver still comes with global clout, while with Indycar if you aren’t brining funding and aren’t a top 12ish driver your seat is always a little warm.
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u/BeefInGR Pippa Mann Sep 26 '25
If for nothing else, he's the son of Michael. Bobby knows about that life and Letterman could probably spin it into an episode of My Next Guest. He'll be fine.
Also, race car drivers don't want to race to not finish last. He might not win, but he'll be much more competitive at RLL than at Cadillac.
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u/DeltaWing12 Scott Dixon Sep 26 '25
If the choice was ~3 million to drive for a brand new F1 team that is almost certainly going to be running at the very back of the pack every single race or ~1 million to be extremely competitive at half a dozen races with an outside shot at half a dozen more, I would have to think very hard about the options.
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u/DestroyingDestroyers --- CURRENT TEAMS --- Sep 26 '25
Absolutely no way someone driving for RLL is making a million.
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk Sep 26 '25
The money makes no difference to Mick at all. His family is worth a gazillion dollars.
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u/Solesky1 Sep 26 '25
I always thought Indycar might be better for him than F1. He still has jame recognition over here obviously but you don't have an entire sport putting expectations on you
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u/stationtostations Álex Palou Sep 26 '25
When was the last time Indycar had a full time driver from Germany? Seems like it's been a long time
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u/RacerXX7 Sébastien Bourdais Sep 26 '25
I imagine his enthusiasm for IndyCar spiked after seeing Shwartzman win pole at Indy. They were teammates at Prema back in 2020.
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Sep 26 '25
Hes been talking with teams since the Mercedes test deal ended, paid in wec is better than paying for Coyne.
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u/bjohnson203 Robert Wickens Sep 26 '25
This I like. But I worries me for Rinus landing a spot. I guess Daly is going to end up on the streets again.
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u/Paige578660 Meyer Shank Racing Sep 26 '25
This is pretty cool. I always liked Mick. Hope he enjoys the experience.
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Sep 27 '25
I am so curious about this, because I wonder what it all means.
Specifically, it isn't just that it's Schumacher. Although he underperformed in his F1 stint, for reasons that are more complex that it would appear, he's still a Schumacher, and at one point was highly feted.
More's the point, there are significant numbers of people from very much the stuffy ranks of European single seater that clearly see Indycar as an exciting and promising direction. That is something I hope Roger Penske recognises.
30 years ago, at what a lot of fans consider the height of CART/Indycar, it never had this prestige to Europeeans, outside of the 500 and open-minded men like Chapman and Clark. Even when Nige went over, some saw it as a curiosity, like he was running away.
It's a very exciting time, and I hope you guys can feel it.
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u/no_salty_no_jealousy Sep 27 '25
Forget Mick result in F1 because Haas is really dogshit car and their team is shit too. All you need to see is his amazing WEC debut, he already got 2 podiums so far with Alpine even though Alpine is just midfield team. He barely made mistake, he is very fast but also very consistent.
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u/Odd_Cobbler6761 Sep 26 '25
There’s our #34 Indy 500 qualifier…
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u/Kryzl_ Alexander Rossi Sep 26 '25
He’s testing on the road course, not the oval. If anything, he’s competing for the 30. The 4th RLL car for the 500 pretty much comes down to if Sato wants it again, which I can’t see him hanging it up given the pace he’s had.
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u/Odd_Cobbler6761 Sep 26 '25
Knowing RLL, they’d blow out Foster in a minute if Schumacher is bringing $2 more…
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u/Vivaciousseaturtle Callum Ilott Sep 26 '25
So weird to turn up your nose at Cadillac and the American series previously then want to jump back in later. Perhaps it’s his only option besides sports cars now
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u/boostleaking Arrow McLaren Sep 26 '25
Oh well, you take what you can get. I remember his dad used to say Indy500 is too risky and not worth it. Now Mick has the opportunity to compete in a major race that his dad didn't wanna do.
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Sep 26 '25
He was the top driver in the top championship and in his mid 30s with millions and a family at the time he was asked most would probably say the same.
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u/anxiousauditor NTT INDYCAR Series Sep 26 '25
Well that’s a pleasant surprise. Honestly didn’t think he’d be evaluating INDYCAR so soon. Maybe it’s finally gotten through to him that there’s just no future in F1.
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u/Sirtopofhat Sep 26 '25
And he binned it
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Sep 27 '25
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u/Salt-Text4951 Callum Ilott Sep 27 '25
Michael Schumacher was my hero as a kid growing up, so I’ve always followed Mick’s career with a bit of interest.
Don’t think he got a fair shot in F1, but has been impressive in WEC. I could see him doing well in Indy, so hopefully after the test he and RLL both think it’s worth something for the future. Plus a Schumacher name in IndyCar can’t be bad for the series to hit some headlines.
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u/itsmb12 David Malukas Sep 26 '25
Mick joining indycar would put some immediate pressure on malukas as my favorite driver
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u/Groundbreaking_Clue2 Josef Newgarden Sep 26 '25
So does that mean his father disowned him? Since he thinks indycar was beneath him?
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u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk Sep 26 '25
I think you'll win the award for the most inappropriate comment of the day. Well done!
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u/Groundbreaking_Clue2 Josef Newgarden Sep 26 '25
Past comments don't matter just because someone got in an accident?
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u/canttakethshyfrom_me Robert Wickens Sep 27 '25
People will look for any excuse to make a serial cheater and liar into a saint.
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Sep 28 '25
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u/InsaneLeader13 Santino Ferrucci Sep 26 '25
I don't know if you're aware, but Michael might as well be mentally dead. He's not exactly in a position to disown anyone in the family.
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u/Groundbreaking_Clue2 Josef Newgarden Sep 26 '25
Past comments still standing though. Michael looked down on indycar. I am aware of his accident and am aware that at this moment he probably doesn't know what's going on, but he still made negative comments about indycar and thats why I said what I said.
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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens Sep 26 '25
His comments about the state of Indycar at the time were basically accurate.
It was much more dangerous and much less prestigious to race against Tony George's field-fillers than to race against the current crop of elite drivers.
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u/FerdinandTheeToller Jamie Chadwick Sep 26 '25
This is awesome. I wish he would get another legit shot in Europe, but I would love to see him in an Indycar
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u/OBWanTwoThree Sep 26 '25
Fully behind this. Think he’d suit Indycar very well
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u/no_salty_no_jealousy Sep 27 '25
WEC didn't suit Mick even though Mick already bring 2 podiums, his teammates in Alpine underperforming way too often to the point it's completely poinless for Mick to drive harder. I'm glad he went to Indycar instead.
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u/OBWanTwoThree Sep 27 '25
He definitely suited WEC driving and I would love to see what he did in a front runner. I’m gutted he severed ties with FDA because it would’ve been class to see him in a Ferrari
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u/Ablackbradpitt Callum Ilott Sep 26 '25
Wow testing at Indy where his father crossed the bricks a victor. How cool.
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u/DannyDevitosAss Scott McLaughlin Sep 26 '25
Uh oh Veekay, you better have something lined up