Forget everything you thought you knew about Mick Schumacher's racing future – his maiden oval test just proved he's ready to conquer new frontiers in high-speed, sideways action! The German driver’s first foray into oval racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks a significant moment, potentially hinting at a future in IndyCar.
Key Takeaways from Schumacher's Oval Debut:
- Mick Schumacher completed his first-ever oval test at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- He logged an impressive 97 laps behind the wheel of a Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 47 Honda.
- Schumacher quickly adapted, experiencing and understanding both understeer and loose car conditions.
Schumacher’s First Oval Experience at Homestead
Mick Schumacher can’t stop smiling after completing his first oval test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Wednesday. The 26-year-old German took the wheel of an all-black No. 47 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, logging 97 laps under the guidance of teammate Graham Rahal, who helped shake down the car, and driver coach Ryan Briscoe.
Although tire wear was higher than usual—forcing the team to cycle through all its sets and wrap up earlier than planned—the day went smoothly, with Schumacher quickly finding the car’s limits.
"We reached it pretty early," Schumacher told Motorsport.com. "With the car being quite high in ride height, the car was moving around quite a bit; it was loose in the rear. And then as we were making the changes, it started to just build a little bit more push. Overall, I think we had both extremes that you want. We had both understeer, heavy understeer, and we had both also quite a loose rear, which was great for me to experience to see how the car behaved in those moments.
"If anything, I would be much more confident and comfortable. Obviously, more comfortable with the understeer overall, which just gives the most security and safety when driving. And now I just need to figure out what I can drive with, how I'm comfortable, and figure out also what the settings I like in the car.
"I think we've really achieved a lot today."
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Learning the Tools of Oval Racing
One element Schumacher hadn’t used before—including in Formula 1 or the FIA World Endurance Championship—was the weight-jacker in the cockpit.
"The weight-jacker, itself, I felt like it was very interesting," he said.
"I think it's a great tool to have for us and to use it. I got to play around with it quite freely and felt what the differences were like when having it on a certain setting and what changing it back to from going from right to left, for example. So that was good.
"Yeah, I think you can implement that really well into racing traffic or basically, driving on your own, same in combination with what the bars do."
In preparation for his first oval test, Briscoe guided Schumacher around the track’s 18–20 degree variable banking in a minivan the day before. While advice from Briscoe, Rahal, and the team helped him acclimate, Schumacher says the most important factor was the team’s patient and supportive approach.
"It was more of them telling me, 'Hey, we're not here to prove anything, we're just here to learn,'” Schumacher said. “That really resonated with me because that was the approach that I wanted to take. First day with a team, properly with the team and everything, you always want to maybe do something more. I think coming back to that mindset of like, 'No, actually, we're here to learn and we're here to do things right,' and approach them maybe in a cautious way really helped me to feel comfortable and go into today with less expectations and just be expecting to do everything at my pace. That's been really good today.
"Ryan's been great for that. Graham's been great for that. But especially the whole team has given me that feeling that we're in it together and taking our time."
