With Mick Schumacher, a German racing driver took part in the legendary oval classic Indy 500 in Indianapolis for the first time in 103 years. On his debut at the motorsport classic in the USA, the former Formula 1 driver demonstrated his resilience. After a late scare, the 27-year-old crossed the finish line in 18th place.
Mick Schumacher started the race on Sunday in 27th place out of 33 starters. The son of Formula 1 record world champion Michael Schumacher finally brought his car confidently to the finish after 200 spectacular laps at the dangerous and infamous classic in Indianapolis – but had to survive a moment of shock.
The 27-year-old was unable to avoid contact with the track barrier shortly before the end, but kept his racer on the track and finished his Indy 500 debut in 18th place. “It was a fight for survival, especially at the last restart. We were all told that it was fair, but the outside lane was definitely not clean. That’s why I crashed into the wall,” he emphasized afterwards.
For Mick Schumacher “it was about getting to the finish”
Initially, Mick Schumacher had to struggle with a few problems at the oval classic, which was opened by Hollywood star Brendan Fraser with the green flag in front of 300,000 spectators in Indiana. But the newcomer defied several interruptions after spins and crashes and gradually worked his way up the field. Therefore the conclusion was positive.
“It was about getting to the finish, for sure. I had to learn so much in terms of overtaking and everything. I learned so much in my second ever oval race. So, yeah, I’m really proud of everyone at RLL and the whole team,” the former Haas F1 driver made clear. The Swede Felix Rosenqvist from Meyer Shank Racing took victory in Indianapolis.
Caio Collet from AJ Foyt Racing suffered the most serious accident of the day when his demolished car caught fire and slid into the green. But nothing happened to the Brazilian, he was able to get out of his broken car independently after a short time with the help of the stewards and then gave the first all-clear with a raised thumb. Unlike many of his competitors, Schumacher managed to steer his racer from the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team across the finish line unscathed.
