Mick Schumacher will return to full-time single-seater racing. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing confirmed that he will compete in all 17 races of the 2026 IndyCar season, including the Indianapolis 500. This will be his first full campaign in open-wheel cars since Haas dropped him at the end of 2022.
The deal comes just a month after Schumacher's test on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. RLL plans an oval test "in the near future" to accelerate his adaptation to high-speed, high-banked tracks, a type of circuit he has never raced on in official competition.
Schumacher announced his departure from the Alpine endurance team last week, closing two seasons in the World Endurance Championship where he achieved three podiums with the A424 LMDh: Fuji, Imola, and Spa-Francorchamps. His best result at Le Mans was a top-ten finish in 2024.
Photo By Penske Entertainment
"IndyCar is the closest thing to single-seaters that I can race. I don't want a partial program; it's about doing the full championship," Schumacher stated during his October test, when negotiations were already advanced. The presence of his mother Corinna in Indianapolis that day indicated that a deal was close.
Schumacher spent two seasons in Formula 1 with Haas between 2021 and 2022. He scored 16 points during his time in the category, with a sixth place in Austria 2022 as his best result. The lack of consistent performance cost him his seat, and he spent 2023 mostly as a reserve driver for Mercedes before joining Alpine.
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RLL Restructures Its Lineup
Schumacher will drive the #47 Honda-powered car, taking the place of Devlin DeFrancesco. His teammates will be Graham Rahal —son of co-owner Bobby Rahal— and Louis Foster, who won the Rookie of the Year award for the 2025 season.
"His test with us on the IMS road course was exceptional. He impressed every single member of the team," said Bobby Rahal. "We all left that event determined to do whatever we could to bring Mick into our program."
Upcoming Races
Drivers Standings 2026
| POS | PILOTO | PTS | ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Álex Palou | 53 | |
| 2 | Scott McLaughlin | 42 | |
| 3 | Christian Lundgaard | 36 | |
| 4 | Kyle Kirkwood | 32 | |
| 5 | Pato O'Ward | 30 | |
| 6 | Marcus Ericsson | 29 | |
| 7 | Josef Newgarden | 27 | |
| 8 | Romain Grosjean | 24 |
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