Mick Schumacher attended the motorsport spectacle for the first time. © Social Media / Mick Schumacher

Schumacher after Indy debut: Fight for survival

After his Indy500 debut on Sunday evening, which included a late contact with the wall, Mick Schumacher had to take a breather.

25 May 2026

From: dpa

“It was a real fight for survival in the end, especially during the penultimate restart,” the first German driver to start the 500-mile race on the legendary Indianapolis oval reportedly said. The 27-year-old finished 18th, making him the best rookie in the 33-car field. Mick Schumacher had started from 27th position.

The victory, after Schumacher's car touched the wall, went to Sweden's Felix Rosenqvist. His lead over David Malukas was a mere 0,0233 seconds. Never before in the 110 editions of this classic race has a finish been so close.

Mick Schumacher lost places right at the start. He admitted he might have even been a bit too cautious, "and was then overtaken on both sides. But as everyone said: it's an incredibly long race, you just have to stick with it, and that's exactly what we did," he emphasized.

Mick Schumacher in his Honda. © Social Media / Mick Schumacher

In front of more than 300.000 spectators, Caio Collet, who had hit the wall, crashed his car into the barrier just a few laps before Schumacher's collision. The car caught fire and slid into the grass.

The Brazilian was able to climb out of his car with the help of the stewards and gave a thumbs-up to signal that he was okay. But the crash had consequences for Mick Schumacher. "We were told that the track had been cleaned. However, the top line definitely wasn't cleaned well enough, which is why I slid off and hit the wall," he explained.

Schumacher's conclusion

At the end of yet another highly eventful Indy 500, the German driver from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was very pleased with his performance. "I learned so much lap after lap and understand why they say this is the greatest spectacle in motorsport."