Mick Schumacher Gets Hang of Oval Laps in First Test

Formula One stages the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, a road course with long, fast and sweeping corners, including one that is banked. But at its core, it’s still a road course, unable to simulate the sensation Mick Schumacher would feel this week when he experienced a U.S. oval for the first time.

Not surprisingly, the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher said he found Homestead-Miami Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval, disorienting in the early part of Wednesday’s test.

“Kind of (not) knowing what side of the track I (was) on, which corner I’m on and in,” he said of the acclimation phase.

That wasn’t the only thing that was unique about Schumacher’s experience. He admittedly found the approach to the track’s first and third turns initially intimidating.

“Going into a corner without braking is a very new thing (for me),” said the driver who spent two of his 11 professional seasons in F1. “So, the first time (through) I did have a little tap of the brake. … That was one thing I had to get used to, approaching the corner still being pretty much flat out going into the corner and then bleeding (the throttle) off (it).”

Driving Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 47 Honda, Schumacher (photo, above) completed 97 laps with a top speed of 194 mph.

On hand to help Schumacher’s transition were new RLL teammate Graham Rahal and the team’s driver coach, Ryan Briscoe. Those two drivers have combined for 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories, and Briscoe nearly won the season championship in 2009, atop the standings with two races to go before finishing third.

Prior to the test, Briscoe took Schumacher on a 90-mph ride around the track in a minivan to offer pointers, including showing him the preferred line where Briscoe raced four times, made his series debut in 2005 and finished second in 2009. Schumacher, who has spent several days with the team at its Indianapolis headquarters, said he felt prepared … until he wasn’t.

The South Florida track is notorious for wind gusts, and Schumacher had to adjust to them. Additionally, the team didn’t have many track-specific notes to work from as the last INDYCAR SERIES race held there was in 2010, two years before this chassis debuted.

Suffice it to say, RLL had some deciphering to do, and that tested Schumacher.

“The (initial) approach and setup were very conservative,” the series rookie said. “We weren’t quite in the right (setup) window at that point, so everything felt a bit weird and awkward.

“But as we were getting into a better spot with the car, things started to feel a bit more natural and a bit more self-explanatory. Toward the end, I felt I was in very good spot also in terms of confidence, in terms of how I was approaching the corners.”

Schumacher conceded the early laps “kind of destroyed” his confidence, but then RLL helped him adjust the tools within the car.

“(Then) things started to add up and made more sense,” he said. “Then definitely everything felt as expected.”

Schumacher, who turns 27 on March 22, has considerable big-car experience on road courses, but he will certainly need to be on the fast track to learning ovals, and he knows that. He will participate with the full INDYCAR SERIES field during an Open Test Feb. 17-18 at Phoenix Raceway. He is looking forward to it.

“I’m very curious how it will be with the other cars on track and then feel the dirty air and the washout that we’ll get from it and stuff,” he said. “Yeah, lots to learn still, and by no means am I at the point where I can say I’m very comfortable in everything, but we’re chipping away at things. We’re making sure we’re getting ready for St. Pete now and then after that we’ll worry about the rest.”

The 18-race INDYCAR SERIES season begins Sunday, March 1 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which is held on a street circuit. The opportunity for Schumacher to experience his first oval race will come the next weekend at Phoenix. The Good Ranchers 250 is Saturday, March 7.

Schumacher isn’t ready to say he’s set for the oval challenge, but he believes the test at Homestead-Miami was a proper first step toward that confidence.

“I think everything’s going really well,” he said. “I think we’re putting all the puzzles together so far already. The first day I didn’t think we’d be (this) far ahead of what I expected our starting point would be. We’re on a good track to having everything sorted for the first race.”

Next up for Schumacher (photo, below) is a group test Feb. 9-10 at Sebring International Raceway.