“Much more strenuous”
Mick Schumacher is struggling with a change to racing series
April 28, 2026 – 7:03 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In the cockpit of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing things are not going as planned for Mick Schumacher. This obviously concerns the 27-year-old. Now he has spoken about the problems.
Former Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher is still struggling with the transition two months after his debut in the IndyCar Series. “The suspension is so stable that the steering wheel often falls out of your hands if you don’t let go in time,” said the 27-year-old in an interview with RTL/ntv, adding that he was still getting used to it.
It’s “not necessarily more difficult, but much more strenuous,” is how the son of racing legend Michael Schumacher described the differences between an IndyCar and a Formula 1 car: “The car doesn’t have power steering, so it’s very mechanical and conveys a direct translation of the driving style. It’s a nice feeling because you can directly feel what the car is doing.”
In Formula 1, the physical strain would be too high without power steering, explains Schumacher: “In IndyCar, you have less strain on your neck, but you work a lot more in your upper body. You simply have to hold the steering wheel much tighter.” The robustness of the IndyCars also poses a high risk of injury. Accordingly, there is also a high number of broken wrists. “For me it is therefore very important to take my hands off the steering wheel at the right moment.”
But the first German IndyCar driver in 21 years is not afraid of competing in the series for the US championship. The series is considered significantly more dangerous than Formula 1 due to speeds of up to 360 km/h. He just needs to get used to the new features, said Schumacher: “If I were afraid, I would be in the wrong sport. It’s more about respect and it’s the same. The entire environment is different, the race tracks are new for me. The first few months were therefore very instructive and I hope that the results will come soon.”
In the five races of the season so far for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team since the beginning of March, some of which have been driven on ovals, he has only achieved placements beyond the top 15.
The former Formula 1 driver doesn’t feel 100 percent comfortable in his new home either. “America is currently the place where I have my job and can race. That’s why I have to stay here,” explained Schumacher. Nevertheless, he misses Europe: “The USA is completely different: very big, long distances, you travel a lot. I mean, I could be in Germany from Switzerland within two hours. Here I would have to be on a plane for eleven hours.”
