"Always felt sorry": Bernie Ecclestone urges Mick Schumacher to join IndyCar after failed F1 stint

Former F1 driver Mick Schumacher participated in an IndyCar test in October 2025, with reports of the German considering the American open-wheel racing series a possible option for his motorsport career. Amid this, former F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone came out and urged Schumacher to join IndyCar following his F1 failed stint.

Mick Schumacher won the F2 championship in 2020 and was promoted to the pinnacle of motorsports with the Haas F1 team for the 2021 season. However, Haas didn't have a competitive car, and that, in combination with the media pressure from Mick's last name, led to subpar results.

After just a couple of years in F1, Haas sacked Michael Schumacher’s son, and he was taken in by Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff as the reserve driver. The German then went on to race for Alpine's endurance racing program. With the 2025 racing season coming to an end, Mick Schumacher made the step to test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in IndyCar.

The 26-year-old participated in the IndyCar test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and impressed the team in his first outing. Schumacher's mother, Corinna, and a family friend also traveled to the US for the test and met with RLL boss Jay Frye.

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Practice - Source: Getty

F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently came out and spoke about Mick Schumacher's probable future in IndyCar, as he said, (via RTL)

“It would be a good thing for him. I think it’s a great idea. He always had a problem with his name, which I always felt sorry for. He was never able to be in the right car at the right time. The IndyCar series would be a bit easier. The competition isn’t as fierce as in Formula 1, when you see how closely the top ten are grouped there.”

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Helmut Marko’s take on Mick Schumacher's potential IndyCar move

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently came out and spoke about Mick Schumacher's IndyCar test and a probable future for the German in the American open wheel racing series. While Marko had a lot of positives about IndyCar, he warned Schumacher about the high-speed dangers of oval racing, as he said (via sport.de)

“The series is a good series, it's very competitive. A good step for the German; he had a very encouraging test there. If he feels comfortable in America, learns the oval tricks – and he'll need a few races for that – then it will certainly go well.” “That would be too dangerous for me. At an average speed of up to 340 km/h, there's a risk of serious accidents. In such a case, it's usually a major crash,” he added

IndyCar insider Marshall Pruett came out on his podcast and suggested the RLL test had a “potential career path change” feeling about it.