The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 Indy 500.
INDIANAPOLIS — After spending much of his life immersed in the Formula 1 world, Mick Schumacher probably never expected to be milking a cow.
Back when he raced in F1 for Haas, in 2021 and 2022, Schumacher — the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher — would’ve spent the Wednesday of a race week traveling, training or completing some sponsor commitments. All gearing up for the intensity of the on-track action to come.
But this week, ahead of his debut at the Indianapolis 500, Schumacher’s task was of a bovine variety.
Racing drivers milking cows may sound unusual, yet it is a tradition that dates back to 1975 at Indy 500. As part of the annual rookie luncheon, the American Dairy Association — which also supplies the traditional winner’s bottle of milk for post-race celebration consumption — brings a cow to be milked by the debutants.
The luncheon is just one part of the extended pageantry that encapsulates the race. From the drawing of lots to decide the order in which the drivers complete their initial qualifying laps, to visiting nearby schools and neighborhoods, to the parade downtown and the pre-race ceremonies, this is a race built on tradition.
After Schumacher, 27, grew up in the F1 paddock, he’s experiencing how the IndyCar Series does things very differently.
“I’m excited to experience all the traditions that are out here,” Schumacher told reporters this week. “There’s a lot of them. It’s great to keep them the way they are, and to experience them year after year. We’re privileged.”
The luncheon was held in Schumacher’s honor after he qualified as the top rookie for the Indy 500.
But his result, 27th out of the 33 drivers, was only that high after Schumacher gained two positions when his rivals Caio Collet — also a rookie, who originally qualified 10th — and Jack Harvey were excluded for unapproved technical changes being made to their cars.
Schumacher called the accolade of becoming the fastest rookie only after Collet’s penalty “bittersweet,” given how his four laps had unfolded.
His average speed of 229.450mph was 2.6mph off the fastest effort of the session, with averages taken over four laps to arrange the drivers in order from fastest to slowest. In 2026, the field will be headed by four-time IndyCar champion — and 2025 Indy 500 winner — Álex Palou.
Schumacher felt a loss in speed when it was really needed over his qualifying effort was costly. His first three laps got progressively slower before he made only a minimal improvement before crossing the line.
“I feel like it could have been a lot better,” he said.
Mick Schumacher (left) at the the rookie luncheon celebration ahead of the 2026 Indianapolis 500. (Titus Slaughter / Penske Entertainment)
Schumacher made the move into IndyCar this year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It marked a return to full-time single-seater racing for the first time since he lost his F1 seat at the end of 2022. He spent the past two seasons in sports car racing.
There were talks with Cadillac about a possible F1 return in 2026. But when the team opted to sign Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, Schumacher’s attention shifted toward IndyCar.
“I really wanted to experience how it was to race,” Schumacher said. “And I really enjoy it. It’s a great championship. It’s very raw and it’s a very physical championship. That kind of brings a lot of the driver aspect back into play.”
“This year has been all about learning and understanding what it takes to be quick (in IndyCar), but also learning all the new tracks. So that’s obviously a big new part of it to me.”
It’s been the biggest adjustment of Schumacher’s career to date. The tracks he raced on in Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2 as a member of Ferrari’s Driver Academy all served as perfect preparation for his eventual F1 graduation.
The tracks, tires and style of racing all held a degree of familiarity when he arrived in F1.
Then in the World Endurance Championship for sports cars, despite moving to a closed-cockpit prototype car, he was still racing on circuits that he knew — such as Spa, Imola and Interlagos. But IndyCar, with its range of tracks across super speedways, short ovals and road courses, is very different.
“You have very consistent approaches that you do have to do,” Schumacher explained. “You have to feel a lot of little bits and pieces. You only have those four corners, but all the corners will have different feelings, different wind conditions, different car behaviours, essentially.
“To really rely on what you feel is important here. I’m very curious how that’s going to be in the race, with 33 cars on the track. It’s obviously going to be very different.”
Schumacher’s start to life in IndyCar was tough. He did not even finish the first lap in the St Petersburg season opener after getting caught up in a crash between two other cars. But his run to fourth in qualifying at Phoenix, the first oval race of the season, turned heads.
Mick Schumacher (bottom right) leads a pack of cars during the 2026 IndyCar race in Phoenix (Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)
Getting adjusted to racing on ovals is one of the biggest demands facing those making the move across from the European racing scene.
Romain Grosjean raced full-time in F1 from 2012 to 2020 before moving across to IndyCar after his own Haas exit, making his Indy 500 debut in 2022. Sunday will mark his fourth start in the famed race.
“The ovals are definitely the biggest transition from Europe,” said Grosjean. “We don’t have any of those.”
He explained there was also an adjustment to having a car that does not simply go straight on a straight section of track, given the IndyCars are mechanically set up to stay more stable when turning left for ovals.
But you get around it,” Grosjean said. ”I’ve come to love ovals, really find them a lot of fun.”
Asked what tips he’d give to Schumacher for his first Indy 500, Grosjean said: “He has many people alongside him that probably are better than me on ovals, so I’ll let them give the advice!
“But just take in what you can. When you walk through Gasoline Alley (the area between the garages and pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) on a Sunday, it’s pretty unique, and the first time is really a wow effect.”
Support for Schumacher’s debut has come from his teammate, Graham Rahal, a veteran of 18 Indy 500s, as well as 2012 pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe, who has been working as Schumacher’s coach this year and gearing him up for his first superspeedway experience.
“It’s obviously a different approach to racing on a shorter oval,” Schumacher said, highlighting the added challenge of caring for tires while pushing them lap after lap at 230mph. Short ovals put reduced demands on the tires, as drivers average speeds some 40-50mph slower.
Through an open test, rookie orientation program and practice ahead of this week, Schumacher has built his toolkit of skills between qualifying laps and dealing with pack running in traffic, an important skill when scrapping with the other cars.
The outcome of qualifying has done nothing to knock Schumacher’s excitement or anticipation for Sunday. One of the biggest stand-out elements of his Indy 500 experience so far has been interacting with fans.
Come Sunday, he’ll get the full Indy 500 experience with a 350,000-strong crowd — bigger than anything he raced in front of when he was in F1 for single-day event attendance figures — and a chance to write another chapter in his family’s racing legacy. That starts with a shot at Rookie of the Year honors.
“That would be great,” Schumacher said. “(But) I’d probably prefer the bigger trophy.”
