Get to know IndyCar’s newest driver -- Mick Schumacher. Also, IndyCar Drivers Graham Rahal and Christian Lundgaard

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines.

Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcasts. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast, featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport.

I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, Si.com, ESPN SportsTicker, Sports Illustrated, Autoweek and SPEED SPORT. So, let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy.

Welcome to Pit Pass Indy as we continue our sixth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. Pit Pass Indy was at IndyCar Content Days in Indianapolis a few weeks ago gathering interviews leading into the start of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season.

On this episode, you're going to hear from some of the drivers that took part, including IndyCar's newest driver, Mick Schumacher. The son of seven-time Formula One world champion, Michael Schumacher, Mick was the 2018 FIA Formula three European Champion, and the 2020 FIA Formula Two Champion.

Schumacher raced in Formula One with Haas F1 from 2021 to 2022. Most recently, Schumacher served as a reserve driver for Mercedes and McLaren before joining Alpine's World Endurance Championship Program in 2024.

Let's get to know more about one of IndyCar's newest drivers, Mick Schumacher in this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Bruce Martin:

Joining us now is the newest driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, it's Mick Schumacher. Mick, the Schumacher name goes back very deep into the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now, you're going to be part of it, in fact you're going to be racing on the same course that your father won so many races in the United States Grand Prix here.

It's a little bit different of course than what he ran, but when you think of that world's most famous race course, to be able to run on that course where your father had so much success, what are your thoughts?

Mick Schumacher:

I would say it's just excitement more than anything. The track, I did the test there in November, that was pretty fun to get to drive there and get to know the track, get to know the car. And I think one thing that's still missing on that racetrack is the oval. So, kind of get down to that in May and see what that's all about.

Bruce Martin:

A lot of drivers that come from your background see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and they used the term “daunting.” Is it a daunting race course to you in terms of just the speed, and the narrowness of part of the track and just the whole enormity of the event?

Mick Schumacher:

Well, I haven't really been part of that yet. I haven't really seen much of it. That's going to be my first taste from that event as a driver. So, I'm excited, I'm curious and looking forward to experiencing it.

Bruce Martin:

Getting back to the IMS Road course though, you've competed on that before your test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, what were your thoughts of that track, and how do you think you'll do in that type of race? Because we have seen some drivers that have come from similar backgrounds, as you do very well on that course.

Mick Schumacher:

Yeah, I mean, it felt pretty positive when I was there. It felt like I had a good preparation, the team and I had some extensive meetings, but also some sessions before. So, it wasn't no surprise to get there. Nonetheless, it's always a bit different once you get into the real car. So, yeah, we'll see how the race goes.

I think it's always different once there're a couple more cars on track. In that case, there were only, I think, like seven or eight cars that were driving and it was pretty fresh in the morning. So, I think track conditions were not ideal, but once I think the race weekend itself is on the way, it's going to be a lot different.

Bruce Martin:

You've raced at some of the world's greatest racing venues. I doubt that any of them had a yard of bricks though on the front strait. How unique is that?

Mick Schumacher:

Yeah, it's pretty unique. From what I understand, you don't really feel much, so shouldn't be too bad. And yeah, I think it's good to have that little piece of history on their still.

Bruce Martin:

How did this come together for you to decide that IndyCar is where Mick Schumacher wants to race?

Mick Schumacher:

I mean, I had some offers straight out the bag when I was out of Formula One in ‘23 and I was reserve. And at the time, I was not too keen on leaving Europe, I just wanted to keep racing in Europe, wanted to stay in Europe, and then at some point, I was just like, “Okay, I need a change of scenery,” and IndyCar directly popped into my mind.

And so, I was happy to make the switch, and obviously, doing that with RL is great, and I think their ambitions to move forwards and upwards is great, and it's good to be a part of that.

Bruce Martin:

The history of the ownership of that team is pretty interesting. Bobby Rahal, three-time CART champion, 1986 Indianapolis, 500 winner. This will be the 40th anniversary of his Indy 500 victory. David Letterman, famed TV talk show host comedian, I'm sure you've seen a lot of him even on TV back in the day, even though you were in Europe and he was in the United States, but he is a pretty famous figure from him – Michael Lanigan, a very successful businessman.

When you see the commitment that all three have for IndyCar and you throw in Team President Jay Frye, you have to feel very confident you're going to have all the pieces in place to have a successful rookie season.

Mick Schumacher:

Yeah, definitely. And I'm very confident that we're putting all the efforts in necessary to do what is needed to have a successful year. And yeah, I think we're all very excited that things are starting now.

Bruce Martin:

Second race for you is going to be on a short oval. That's going to be a new experience for you. How excited are you for that opportunity to race at Phoenix?

Mick Schumacher:

It's hard to say at this point. I'm having an oval test next week, my first one, and I think after that, I'll be able to answer that question much, much better. But at this point, I think it's all about excitement and curiosity combined getting into it.

Bruce Martin:

By you participating in IndyCar, do you see that opening the way to have some more fans from Europe pay attention to this series and discover what IndyCar is all about?

Mick Schumacher:

Yeah, hopefully, I think there are some opportunities there to include some of the viewership that Europe has. I mean, Germany's a pretty big country, and hopefully, we'll be able to get it out there into the world so people can watch it at a more, let's say, facilitated way or easier way than what it is at the moment. From what I understand, it's pretty complicated to get across it in Europe and hopefully, with me being here, we can change that a little bit.

Bruce Martin:

I know Jay Frye has played a big role in helping you come to the team. What's it been like getting to know Jay Frye?

Mick Schumacher:

Yeah, Jay's great. He's a good person and he's grateful for the team, he's a great president, and his motto is I think very applicable to everything in life. So, I think we're here to make things happen and get shit done.

Bruce Martin:

Gavin Ward had experience in Formula One working with Red Bull. I don't know if you'll be working with him or not. I'm sure he'll be playing a role in your development, but getting to know Gavin, an interesting guy, do you two speak similar when it comes to race car setup?

Mick Schumacher:

Yeah, I mean, I don't know about race car setup. I think we are seeing very much eye to eye in a lot of the points and where we feel like we want to go. I think we're very, very happy to have him on board.

I know for sure I am, to have my season kind of also, to be built around the fact that I can go back to him and have that translation at times because the vocabulary is very different from Europe to here, and so, Gavin has seen both sides.

But also, having Mike on my team with him being the engineer and the engineering group, but also doing an amazing job in the car build side. So, yeah, I think we're really happy that we have a great team around my car, and I think we're looking very strong. So, happy with that.

Bruce Martin:

You're an IndyCar rookie, but you're a racing veteran. What would a successful season for you be in 2026 in IndyCar?

Mick Schumacher:

I haven't really set myself a certain number as a goal. I think for us, we want to be in a position to be able to say wherever we started, we ended in a better place wherever that might be, and I think I just want to do my best and do the best that I can with a team so that we move upwards.

Bruce Martin:

Is this car fun to drive when you compare it to some of the other cars you've driven in Europe?

Mick Schumacher:

It's different. I think we're having here very different types of cars and type of ways to drive it. Obviously, the IndyCar, well, it's a very tough car to drive; you have to muscle it around the corners, you have to push it quite hard, the tires do manage to hold on, and back in Europe, what I'm used to is very different.

You know, you're very clean, you're trying to look after the tires and you have a lot of power and a lot of down force, which this car is a bit more mechanical if anything.

Bruce Martin:

And last question, I wanted to ask you about the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Is that a race that you've circled as being one that you're looking forward to because of the family history at this facility?

Mick Schumacher:

You mean the IMS Road course?

Bruce Martin:

Yes, at the IMS Road course.

Mick Schumacher:

Honestly, I'm looking forward to all of the racetracks. I think one of which I'm really excited about is Arlington because it's the closest to the ranch that we have out in Texas. So, it feels like a mini home race if you want, and I think it's going to be a very exciting one.

Bruce Martin:

Will you be spending any time living in Indianapolis, or are you going to commute from Arlington or from Texas, I should say?

Mick Schumacher (11:28):

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out where I'm commuting from. It's not sure that I'm commuting from Texas, not sure that I'm commuting from Indy or Europe. So, I have a couple spots where I have to see and figure out where I want to be, and how I want to deal with things here for now.

Bruce Martin:

And last question, Bobby Rahal was very good at anything that he drove. How much do you look at him in his team ownership role and see him as a pretty good, innovative guy, a pretty good motivating guy to be racing for?

Mick Schumacher:

He's great. I mean, I haven't met him personally yet, just over team calls and stuff. We just kind of seemed like to always miss each other whenever we were here. But no, I'm very excited to be working for him and learning from him as well.

I've spent quite a bit of time with Graham a couple nights ago, and we got to talking and I think the team has so much potential, and we see that from my side and from my team's side and I think that's why we were very keen to be here and maybe be a part of the journey to becoming one of the top teams, if not the top team.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Mick Schumacher, welcome to the IndyCar Series, welcome to the United States, even though you already have a ranch here. Good luck in 2026. We'll be catching up throughout the season and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy.

Mick Schumacher:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Our next guest is one of Schumacher's teammates at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It's veteran driver Graham Rahal, who took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to join me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Graham Rahal:

A Honda IndyCar report with Bruce.

Bruce Martin:

Actually, it's now Pit Pass Indy. But hey, our next guest is multitasking here. It's Graham Rahal signing some trading cards while he’s doing this interview on content. David Graham, pretty cold outside, but it's never too soon to start thinking about the start of the NTT IndyCar Series season.

Graham Rahal:

And soon we're going to be complaining about how hot it is, Bruce. We're going to get down to St. Pete and we're all going to be dying in the sun and be completely unused to it due to this. But you're right, we're excited to get the year going. I was planning flights just the other night looking at it, going, “Holy smokes, we're going to be here before we even know it.” So, I'm ready to go. I mean, however many years in this, and it's a lot.

Bruce Martin:

Some big news on the race team this week: Ryan Briscoe's coming over to work as a driver coach, how much do you think that's going to help the overall operation, especially the fact you're bringing in Mick Schumacher who's going to be new to IndyCar this season?

Graham Rahal:

Yeah, I'm excited for Mick. I think RB will help a lot there, but I think he's going to be able to help Louis and me. I think we as a team need to get better in a lot of areas. I thought Orion was always a great road racer, but also a tremendous oval racer, and so that's where we need a lot of help. And some of his knowledge and intuition from last year with Prima and other places that he's been, I think can help a lot. And so, I'm excited to have Ryan join us, and fingers crossed, it'll help us as a team get a lot better.

Bruce Martin:

You also hired some additional manpower in the engineering department. If you could explain to us a little bit about that and how that's going to help the effort?

Graham Rahal:

Well, natural fit, we had to grow obviously with some changes that were made in the off season. We had to be able to gain and get some new people, but also, frankly, we were in a growth mentality no matter what that we need to go get more and get some good additions, and I think that we’ve done that.

I mean, do we need more? I think yes, still, I think we've got a little bit of work to be done, but overall, I felt like the moves that we made were really positive. And I think that we're in a pretty good spot as we go into this year. So, I'm excited about some of the guys, I'm excited about some of the things I've heard, some of the knowledge that's been gained, and off we go, man. We'll keep pushing here.

Bruce Martin:

You’re the experienced veteran driver at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. You've got two young guys, last year's rookie of the year, Louis Foster and Mick Schumacher is coming over this year to race for the team. How much is that going to help the whole overall effort?

Graham Rahal:

Well, it's going to help because Louis's on year two, and I think we've really minimized any sort of distraction this year. I think we're going to be able to be … he and I were solidified I think even before the end of the year, we knew exactly what was going on, and where we were going. I think Mick we've known about for a while. It took a little longer than we maybe anticipated to get the deal done. But overall, I mean, I feel good about where we're at as a program.

I mean, are things perfect? We're always going to continue to learn and get better and so on. But I do feel really good about where the program is, and I think Mick's going to be an excellent addition too.

What I like about Mick is clearly very smart, clearly very analytic. He's a guy that I think is very thorough in the way that he approaches it. I mean, even, having dinner with him even last night, just talking through the way that he goes about his business, I think he's going to be a great addition to our program.

And he is a humble guy, he is down-to-earth, and he's ready to go to work, and he knows what he knows and he knows what he doesn't. And that's going to be a big challenge, but I think a guy like him that's been in F1 but also gone to WEC and done some other stuff, it'll be a benefit to him when he jumps in these cars to see how different they are.

Bruce Martin:

IndyCar is returning to Phoenix Raceway in oval, second race of the season, it's going to be the same day as the NASCAR. O'reilly Auto Parts Series Race, how excited are you to get back to Phoenix in an IndyCar?

Graham Rahal:

Is that the Xfinity name now?

Bruce Martin:

Yes.

Graham Rahal:

Okay, I didn't know that. But yeah, first off, I think it's going to be great for us. I think it's been great to get that exposure. I wouldn't go back to Phoenix unless it was this scenario. And so, overall, I feel like it's a huge positive for us. So, I'm excited if we take advantage of the opportunity and we can have a really good weekend, it's great exposure for everybody.

I think it's great for NASCAR too. I've always said this, I think that we all got to work in sync. We all got to work together to be better. We all got to work together to grow our sport, and our sport is not NASCAR versus IndyCar. Our sport is motor racing in the United States of America and worldwide, and hopefully we can have a great weekend out there.

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of the United States of America, IndyCar confirmed they are talking to the Department of Transportation and with the President Trump administration to have a race in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. What are your thoughts about having a race like that on America's 250th birthday?

Graham Rahal:

Me, I think it's huge. I think it's a must-do opportunity. I don't care what your political stance is, and I know we hear plenty about that, but the reality is that as a sport that is looking for growth and an opportunity to be in the limelight, that President Trump wants us to do that.

And you know what, there's a lot of opportunity, it could be NASCAR, it could be F1, and what would all the IndyCar fans think about if it was one of them? And so, to me, I think overall, we shall fill in a blessed position that we may get this opportunity and if we get the opportunity, we certainly need to take it.

Bruce Martin:

And in our final question with Graham Rahal here on IndyCar Content Day, Graham, you being an Ohio State fan, you've had a chance to experience a lot of national championships as an Ohio State fan. Me as an Indiana University graduate, I didn't think this was ever possible in the history of earth that IU would win a college football national championship. So, what are your thoughts on what Curt Cignetti done?

Graham Rahal:

I think it's amazing. I've been talking to a lot of people about it today, I think it's absolutely amazing. I mean, look, I don't understand how in two years you can make the kind of change that he did, but you got to give the man all of his flowers and all the players, obviously, they had a lot of experience on that team.

I mean, they had a great team last year, but Curt Cignetti, the guy's a stone-cold killer and I can tell you what, as a fan, I think he gives me the most confidence of any coach in college football that when it comes to game day, that he's going to have his guys ready and prepped and go out there and kill.

But also, as was shown on the Mendoza fourth touchdown run, Cignetti isn't going to hold back. He wants to go win, he doesn't want to win by just a little bit. And God bless him, man, I love that style.

Bruce Martin:

You were at the Big 10 championship game, it was a real brutal battle between IU and Ohio State. Indiana won the game, I'm sure you were very disappointed, but is that the game that IU really showed you that they were for real?

Graham Rahal:

No, I didn't think they actually played their best thing nor did I think Ohio State did. I mean, Ohio State easily could have won that game. I mean, you get inside the five-yard line three times, and you come away with zero points out of that three. I mean, you score even just two field goals out of that, you win the game.

So, I thought Ohio State kind of really honestly didn't do a … I mean, Indiana missed a field goal too, but still, I think Ohio State really didn't do a good job there. But I thought Indiana really couldn't do much either. If you look at the total yardage, it was a kind of a blood bag, it wasn't really that impressive.

Well, I thought they were most impressive, was against Alabama. I thought that was the first time it was like, okay, this is — and I didn't think Alabama was that good either, but still, they demolished them.

And it was in that moment that you went, okay, these guys got a little confidence from being Ohio State, now they got a lot of confidence. And I knew they were going to roll over Oregon. All of us did. And so, it was super impressive.

Bruce Martin:

So, I guess the next thing now would be for Graham Rahal to go out and win the Indianapolis 500.

Graham Rahal:

It’d be pretty awesome, wouldn't it? We'll see.

Bruce Martin:

This is also going to be the 40th anniversary of your father's.

Graham Rahal:

What are you saying in 70 years that you never thought that's possible too? Is that kind of what I got out of that?

Bruce Martin:

No, no, I'm just saying time for new winners. Get Graham Rahal as an Indy 500 winner.

Graham Rahal:

That'd be a damn good thing. So, let's try to make it happen.

Bruce Martin:

Well, anyway, Graham Rahal, good luck in 2025, enjoy content day and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy.

Graham Rahal:

Thank you, sir.

Bruce Martin:

Our final guest on this edition of Pit Pass Indy is Christian Lundgaard of Arrow McLaren. Previously a member of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Lundgaard had an impressive start with Arrow McLaren in 2025 before finishing fifth in the final championship standings.

Lundgaard joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

It might be cold here in Indianapolis but our next guest grew up in a weather like this. It's Christian Lundgaard from Denmark. Christian, do you wonder what all the fuss is about when all these people in Indianapolis complain about sub-zero temperatures and a foot of snow on the ground?

Christian Lundgaard:

I mean, it's been a long time since I've had this bad of a weather. I mean, I enjoy it, it's not my favorite thing, so to speak, but I think going out on the streets is always fun for me. I know what I'm doing and I can have fun out there, but it's definitely white out there at the moment.

Bruce Martin:

Apparently, too many of the drivers in this town aren't having fun out there. It seems like the interstates are getting shut down, left and right from people losing it, spinning out, getting in crashes, we hope everybody's going to be safe out there.

By the time this interview airs though, hopefully, it will have all melted, but it ought to be heating up for you at Arrow McLaren as we get closer to the start of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. You have to be very excited about the opportunities that exist for you this year.

Christian Lundgaard:

Absolutely. I think continuing down the path of progression from the start of ‘25 to the of ’25, we had a great year. Obviously, I think the results speaks for themselves. At times, we definitely wish we would've had some better results.

I also think there was times where we ended in positions I don't necessarily think we deserved to be in, which is the weekend you need to have to be fighting for it at the end of the year. And that's the year we hope ‘26 is going to be, is we want to be competitive every single event, and kind of the end result of ‘25 is the bare minimum for this year.

Bruce Martin:

Pato O’Ward, earlier today, I asked him, having the new shop, the Arrow McLaren shop, that you're going to have a lot of the resources that a winning team needs before you were all shoehorned into a building that was much smaller than what could really suit one or two cars, let alone three. How much do you expect that to really help raise the level of the entire operation?

Christian Lundgaard:

I think it can be a little bit of a burden in the beginning. It can be tough to get adjusted, focus shifts to making sure that we're all settled in the shop. But again, the transition has been a little bumpy which I think we expected as well. But for the long term, it's definitely something that the team, one, needed, and the team deserved, and I think it's been coming for a while now.

It's here, we're in and we're only excited to see what results we can produce and hopefully, many championships to come. But it's good for the people. I think every employee that I've seen and spoken to have had a massive smile on their faces. It's finally here and we look that the way we've performed, and I think that's only going to continue moving forward.

Bruce Martin:

In any other season, the start of the year that you had would've been big news, but unfortunately, it coincided with Alex Palou's, tremendous start of the season. Should a driver get off to another fast start this year, there's going to be more points available because there's more races that are before the Indianapolis 500. Could we see a little bit more importance in those races because they're going to come before Indy, not after Indy?

Christian Lundgaard:

It's difficult to say. I think the hype of the split season I think has gotten a little lost the last couple of years. Typically, we've seen strong performances up until May and following through May, and then kind of dying off as all their energy has been put on the beginning of the season. I think that's gone away a lot more the later years, and I don't see it changing now.

I think we all are so competitive, and I think the benchmark Alex has set the last couple of years kind of just proves that you need to be there at the beginning to the end, and a lot can happen at the end of the year too, so yeah.

Bruce Martin:

Another big change is last year, we'd start the season in St. Pete, take a couple weeks off, have a race somewhere, take a couple more weeks off, have another race, take even more weeks off. This year it's going to be get out of the gate fast and keep going because we're going to have a race St. Pete followed by the next weekend, Phoenix; followed by the next weekend, Grand Prix of Arlington before there's a week off, and then there's going to be another race in March, it's going to be Barber Motorsports Park.

So, it's going to be a very fast paced start of the season. I'm sure that's exactly what a race driver like yourself wants to see. So, how important is it to really have a fast start with all those races coming back to back to back?

Christian Lundgaard:

I mean, at the end of the day, it's what we've all been wishing for the entire off season. I think we've had six months off. It's been a long time and we're all just eager to get going. I think there is a lot of positives with a triple header to start off with. People are not really going to lose interest and I think it's potentially been like that in the past with a weekend on, two weeks off, a weekend on, it's difficult to get back into the rhythm.

And I think, if I just see myself in this, I've been following Supercross for the last couple of years, and once their season starts, they basically race 16 weekends in a row, and it makes it interesting to follow. And I think that's the situation that IndyCar is going to see themselves in this year, which I only think is exciting for the fans.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, IndyCar has confirmed an additional race to the 2026 schedule. It would be around the National Mall in Washington, D.C., around all the great iconic monuments in the capital city. Just how huge would that be for IndyCar to get that type of event?