'More dangerous than F1!' Mick Schumacher's new racing series criticised

Ex-F1 driver Mick Schumacher has been told his move to American racing series IndyCar is ‘unnecessary’ ahead of his debut across the pond.

The 26-year-old son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher is set to compete in the 2026 INDYCAR series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), with this weekend's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicking off the start of the season on Sunday, March 1.

Schumacher will be driving the No. 47 Honda for RLL in his rookie campaign having seemingly given up on his dreams of following in his father's footsteps and thriving in F1 after failing to find a full-time seat across the past four championships.

And his Uncle Ralf, six-time grand prix winner and brother of F1 legend Michael, is making no secret of his disapproval of Mick's decision to now try his hand at IndyCar having failed to succeed in F1.

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Was Mick Schumacher's IndyCar move the right decision?

Whether or not the former Haas star has made the right choice in pursuing IndyCar or not will be determined until later this year after he has got a few competitive rounds under his belt in the new series.

But despite seeming optimistic for the new challenge, Mick himself has admitted to the media that he has struggled to understand a lot of the new terminology and processes that come with making the move to IndyCar.

"For me, it's a question of risk versus reward," said Ralf Schumacher in a Sky Sports press conference regarding his nephew’s move to the US-based series.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise that average speeds of 360 km/h are more dangerous than normal Formula 1 races."

Previously, an F1 car has been proven to be capable of reaching top speeds of 378km/h (234.9mph), the speed that Valtteri Bottas hit during qualifying for the 2016 European GP in Baku at the wheel of his Williams.

Mick left Mercedes in his role as F1 reserve driver at the end of the 2024 campaign in order to pursue full-time racing again but despite this, it seems Ralf would have preferred to see Mick continue with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship or even pursuing yet another attempt to find a way back into F1, something which his uncle now feels is no longer possible.

"With this move, that door is now closed. There are always new talents coming through," the 50-year-old added, even though he has consistently gone on the record to protest that his brother’s son was more than deserving of a place on the grid.

Ralf continued to push this message in his latest press appearance, doubling down on the matter by declaring: "When I see one or the other, Mick is definitely better."

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