Bitter start for Mick Schumacher’s IndyCar adventure! The former Formula 1 driver was eliminated after just a few meters in his debut race in the US motorsport series on Sunday.
The race had barely begun in St. Petersburg in the US state of Florida when it was already history for Mick Schumacher: the son of Formula 1 record world champion Michael Schumacher had to cut short his debut early after an accident on the first lap that was not his fault.
Already on lap four, the first real braking point on the course, there was contact between Sting Ray Robb (Juncos-Hollinger-Chevrolet) and Santino Ferrucci (Foyt-Chevrolet).
Footage circulating online suggests that Robb braked, Ferrucci was no longer able to turn in and both ended up in the barrier. Schumacher, who was directly behind the duo, was no longer able to avoid the car and drove into Ferrucci. The fact that Robb, of all people, was able to continue the race is unlikely to reassure Ferrucci and Schumacher.
“It’s a 100-lap race with three stops. Everyone has different strategies. So there’s no reason for such maneuvers on the first lap,” Ferrucci railed against Robb on “FOX”.
“We have to qualify further ahead”
Schumacher, on the other hand, was rather mild: “I saw Santino lock the wheels, but I didn’t know that someone else also braked on the inside. Sting Ray apparently shot a little further into the curve than expected and that triggered a chain reaction.”
“It’s a race, and when you’re far behind, there are always moments when you have three or even four cars in front of you or behind you, that’s a risk in itself. So for us the most important insight is: We have to qualify further up the field, it’s that simple,” continued Schumacher. After a weak qualifying, the 26th place only started the race in 21st place.
Schumacher was still satisfied afterwards: “To be honest, we had a really good car. We made some big changes to it, and they all pointed in the right direction. We probably saw that with the first tire,” said the IndyCar newcomer, who starts for Rahel Latterman Lanigan Racing, afterwards.
And further: “I am very satisfied with our performance this weekend. Now we just have to top it all off and achieve a good race result.” Schumacher was now deprived of this opportunity after the early exit.
