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    2026 Grand Prix of Long Beach: Mick Schumacher is no accidental tourist
    • April 15, 2026

    Getting away from Europe is getting Mick Schumacher closer to the world.

    The son of a Formula One legend, Schumacher came up through the ranks of the sport before spending two years behind the wheel in arguably the world’s most demanding motorsports series.

    “I think you learn so much from all these different racing categories that I’ve been through,” Schumacher said. “I’ve learned a lot of that (and) it’s been a tough experience for sure because it’s very tiring.”

    But leaving Formula One and moving on to other adventures – including 24 Hours at Le Mans – has re-energized Schumacher’s open-wheel career.

    “We were pretty close to that F1 deal and obviously, it didn’t go our way,” Schumacher said. “So then, after that, I had to decide what I wanted to do.”

    Now driving the No. 47 for Rahal-Letterman Dallara Honda in his first IndyCar NTT Series season, Schumacher, 27, is making first trip to Southern California this week for the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

    Sight-seeing in SoCal

    Arriving into and getting a ride out of LAX on Tuesday “was quite an experience” Schumacher said, but his team turned it into a trip to see a short list of memorized spots.

    “Really, I just want to drive around and try to be a tourist in the time we have free,” he said. “I want to go see the Hollywood sign and see some stuff.”

    Having once traveled to San Francisco but never Los Angeles, Schumacher had his mind on a night in Santa Monica but remained anxious to get onto the famed Long Beach circuit.

    “I’ve never been to L.A. so yeah, it’s a good time to come in and see it for the first time,” Schumacher said. “I’m very, very excited about the race. It’s a great venue and a great racetrack from what it looks like. I haven’t driven it yet so it’ll be important to get going.”

    Practice for Sunday’s 51st running of the Grand Prix of Long Beach begins at 3 p.m. Friday.

    Free from Formula One

    Born into the most famous Formula One family, Schumacher began karting in 2008 under assumed names to detract from public attention.

    He went from Formula 4 to Formula 3 to Formula 2 before finally arriving in Formula One in 2021 with Haas Ferrari but never finishing higher than sixth at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix. He stayed on at Ferrari in a reserve driver role through 2024 when he signed a deal with Alpine Hypercar to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    “I come from a very different background so maybe the way I do things is very different,” Schumacher said. “But working with the people outside of F1 has been great and very helpful in adapting.”

    Schumacher rediscovered his competitive edge for the Alpine Endurance Team and had eight top-10 finishes in two seasons, leading the team two third-place results and 16th overall for the 2025 season.

    “The transition from F1 has been softer and a bit warmer than getting thrown into the cold war,” he said.

    Lessons from Le Mans

    Working with the Alpine team also meant yearly trips to Northwest France for 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    One of the world’s most famous races, Schumacher said he gained invaluable lessons from racing the historic 8.5-mile track.

    “I take great memories from that place and I learned a lot of different skills that I feel like are just helpful to me across my career in the future,” Schumacher said.

    The Alpine Endurance Team won 24 Hours at Le Mans in 2018 and 2019, with 20 top-10 finishes in 26 race starts since 2009.

    “I feel like I got into a position, mentally, where I was just so embedded into what I was doing that it became like a rhythm,” Schumacher said. “I was pushing very hard because we were having to catch up a little but so I was, it fully felt like I was part of the car.”

    The Alpine team placed 10th overall last year, and Schumacher drove the anchor leg.

    “I drove for 4 fours and it felt like no time had passed and it was a great feeling,” Schumacher said. “It was great seeing the sunset knowing I did everything I could to get the team into a position worth fighting for. That was pretty special.”

    IndyCar reasons

    An invitation to test drive for Rahal-Letterman late last year was accepted and a contract offer was signed.

    “IndyCar was always an option in my head and when I got the call to do the test, it showed me, yeah, this is fun,” Schumacher said. “This series is a pretty tough one. Power steering is not a thing here so it’s pretty physical.”

    Tough results – Schumacher was 25th in St. Petersburg and 24th in Alabama two weeks ago – have given the Swiss-born driver newfound respect for IndyCar and its intricacies.

    “It is a very different car,” Schumacher said. “You have a lot of different tools to work through that are different to what we’re used to in Europe, and especially the names are different.

    “I’m still getting the hang of that, but I’m excited to learn more and get out on the right foot in Long Beach on Friday,” he said.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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