IndyCar team owner Dale Coyne says he’s been in talks with Mercedes F1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher about a potential opportunity to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series.
As the team’s official substitute, Schumacher embeds with Mercedes on F1’s race weekends but more importantly the young German spends a lot of time at Brackley conducting development work on the team’s simulator.
The 25-year-old, who competed in F1 with Haas in 2021 and 2022 and who also currently races with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, still aspires to return to the F1 grid in the future.
“My goal and my dream is to drive in Formula 1,” he said recently. “That has always been the case and always will be.
“That’s why we have to make sure that the dominoes now fall in my favour and that I hopefully end up with a seat.
“What I can do for that is simply give my best performance in the WEC and also in Formula 1 and continue to perform well for the team as reserve driver and continue to hold talks.”
An overture with Alpine for 2025 seems unlikely given that the French outfit has young Aussie Jack Doohan waiting in the wings should the team part ways with either Esteban Ocon or Pierre Gasly at the end of this season.
A move west towards IndyCar might therefore represent the best opportunity for Schumacher to revive his active career, and Coyne has seemingly opened the door to the young German.
“There are all these Formula 2 drivers who finish first or second but have no real future in Formula 1. Mick Schumacher is a perfect example,” commented Coyne, quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
“We would love to welcome such a great driver here.
“We are talking to Mick Schumacher. But he is still pinning his hopes on the Alpine commitment. I would be happy if we were given the chance.”
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