Andretti Global driver Marcus Ericsson has warned Mick Schumacher about the unique oval challenge that awaits him in IndyCar. For most F1 drivers, past or present, oval racing in open-wheel cars at speeds significantly over 200 miles an hour seems like an alien form of competition.
Hence, only a handful of F1 drivers have competed in the Indianapolis 500, while the best talents of the past decade, like Max Verstappen or Daniel Ricciardo, have been averse to it because of the fear of crashing at such high speeds.
Marcus Ericsson was one such driver who turned to IndyCar fully in 2019 after losing his F1 seat with Sauber. He had no oval racing experience back then. But just three years later, he conquered the biggest oval of them all by winning the 2022 Indy 500.
In 2026, former Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher follows in his footsteps with a full-time IndyCar contract. The German driver, who will race for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, also has no oval experience. Ericsson shared his outlook on Schumacher’s IndyCar switch with Speedweek and said:
“The series is very competitive. There are over 20 good cars and no bad ones left. A successful start isn’t easy. Sure, Mick is an excellent driver, but it will be interesting to see how he fares.”
The Andretti Global driver elaborated on the vast challenges of oval racing that Schumacher would face.
“He has to learn that oval racing is a completely different challenge. When I came over, I was open to oval racing and looking forward to it. But there are drivers who start with an aversion to ovals or avoid them altogether. You have to have the right mental attitude. It takes one and a half to two years until you have the necessary experience for the specific characteristics of oval racing,” Ericsson added.
To make Mick Schumacher feel at home on ovals, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has planned an extensive preseason testing schedule for him. The former F1 driver’s first oval test will be at the Miami-Homestead Raceway on February 4.
Mick Schumacher leaning on Graham Rahal to ease his transition to oval racing
During IndyCar’s content days earlier this week, Mick Schumacher expressed the importance of having 20th-year veteran Graham Rahal as his IndyCar teammate. The German mentioned Rahal’s name a few times during his press conference, highlighting the wealth of experience the 37-year-old would have to offer to a rookie like him.
When Mick Schumacher was asked what he anticipates to be the biggest challenge this year, he replied:
“Oval racing. The challenges of it being so different and trying to understand what the high lines are, what the low lines are doing, what we can do in terms of aero disruptions from the front or the back. That’s all stuff that is very new to me. But I’m very curious and interested in learning about that.”
Elaborating on Graham Rahal’s role in his journey, Schumacher added:
“The good thing is we have Graham on board, who has done a couple of these races in his lifetime, and therefore I can learn very much from him.”
Mick Schumacher’s first oval experience that won’t be a test will come at the Phoenix Raceway, which hosts the second race of the season on March 7. That is the only oval race before the prestigious Indy 500 on May 24.
Edited by Yash Kotak
