Will Buxton's honest take on Mick Schumacher's IndyCar prospect: "Don't think F1 was the right place for him"

IndyCar commentator Will Buxton has given his honest opinion on Mick Schumacher's potential move to the American racing series and why F1 wasn't the "right place" for the German driver. Schumacher's two-year F1 stint with Haas was underwhelming, with then-team boss Guenther Steiner axing him at the end of 2023.

He failed to live up to the standards that fans expected of him, being the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. In 2024 and 2025, Mick Schumacher raced for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, and is now eyeing a return to open-wheel racing in 2026.

The 26-year-old participated in his first IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in mid-October and is in serious contention for a drive with the team next season. Will Buxton, who was F1TV's lead presenter until 2025 before he joined IndyCar, shared on a recent episode of the Divebomb IndyCar podcast that Schumacher's joining IndyCar would be "absolutely huge" for the series. The Briton also explained why F1 wasn't the right fit for the German.

"I don't think Formula 1 was ever really the right place for Mick because, a couple of things," Buxton said [1:01:45 onwards]. "Number 1, the shadow, you know, that he could never hope to step out of his father. Nobody other than Lewis Hamilton has been able to match the level of success of Michael Schumacher. And for anybody to hope to get even close, you know, they're dreaming, everyone's dreaming, let alone having the extra weight of being Mick. It was always going to be hard for him."

Will Buxton at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Buxton also shone a light on Mick Schumacher's pattern of performance gains throughout his junior career, adding:

"But I don't think F1 was ever really the right place for him because the cars change so much and so quickly. And if you look at Mick's career, in pretty much every championship he ever did, year one, he was nowhere. Year two, first half of the season, pretty sketch, and then second half, something just clicked and he understood the car and would run to the title."

Unlike F1, which welcomes new technical eras at least twice in a decade, IndyCar has been using the same Dallara DW12 chassis since 2012. It will introduce its new car in 2028. Moreover, IndyCar is more of a spec series, which could be advantageous to Mick Schumacher's pattern of learning and growth.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's lead driver 'pleased' with Mick Schumacher's test

The RLL Honda of Graham Rahal at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's lead driver Graham Rahal, whose father co-owns the team, was 'pleased' with Mick Schumacher's first IndyCar test. Rahal was supposed to be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Schumacher's test, but chose to be with his wife, expecting their third child that week.

In an interview with WISH-TV in late October, the 37-year-old spoke about the morale at RLL and Mick Schumacher's test.

"We're fired up, man," Rahal said. "We've been working awfully hard as a team, done a lot of development. Obviously, tested with Schumacher. You know, Mick, we'll see what happens there, but certainly pleased with what went on. Overall, I'm very impressed with what the team's doing."

The Schumacher family seems invested in evaluating Mick's IndyCar switch, with his mom, Corinna, attending the test, and later having a family dinner with RLL president Jay Frye and his wife. Mick has highlighted that he would like to do another test on an oval, a track type he has never encountered, before deciding to make the switch to IndyCar.

Edited by Yash Kotak