Mick Schumacher signs with new team as 2026 switch confirmed

Former F1 star Mick Schumacher has landed himself a new role for the 2026 season, having recently left the Alpine endurance team.

Having spent the last two years in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with Alpine, Schumacher officially announced last week that he was leaving the outfit, teasing an announcement for the 2026 season.

Now, he has revealed his destination for next year after signing on for a full-time seat with IndyCar outfit Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing, having completed a test with the IndyCar team earlier this year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"I am delighted to confirm today that I will be competing in the IndyCar Series next year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, taking part in the full season," Schumacher said in an official statement. "Having both an F1 and an endurance background, and having competed in various racing series over the years, I have insights and knowledge that I am sure will contribute to a great partnership.

"RLL prepared me extremely well during testing already, and I am sure that we can build a lot together.

"I was also immediately excited about the car and the American way of motorsport, which comes across as being more about pure and direct racing, and it is precisely this aspect that I am very much looking forward to. And of course, I am curious about new experiences and always interested in broadening my horizons.

"For me, a new journey is beginning here, and I am excited for the season to start."

Schumacher warned against IndyCar move

While his move to IndyCar has been in the pipeline for the past few months, his uncle Ralf Schumacher has warned him against the move, while F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas recently stated that he did not believe Schumacher should move to the US-based series otherwise F1 bosses would forget about his talents.

Schumacher hasn't had a full-time seat in F1 since 2022, when he was axed from Haas. From there, he picked up a reserve driver role with Mercedes for 2023, before juggling this role alongside his Alpine endurance duties in 2024.

The young German quit Mercedes at the end of 2024 to focus fully on his racing career in the WEC, leaving Bottas to return to the Silver Arrows to fill the reserve driver role in F1.

But Schumacher will now be racing full-time in IndyCar, with RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal delighted to have the son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher joining their ranks.

"I think I speak for everyone at RLL when I say how thrilled we are to welcome Mick to the team and to IndyCar," he said.

"His test with us on the IMS road course was exceptional - he impressed every single team member. Everyone walked away from that event determined to do what we could to bring Mick into our program.

"We’re thrilled he’s chosen to join us, and we can’t wait to get to work."

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