Much like a stubborn engine that keeps coughing back to life no matter how many times it stalls, Mick Schumacher’s Formula 1 dream refuses to die quietly. However, on his latest trip to the US, the German driver has been considering the possibility of competing in the IndyCar series, which is renowned for its breathtaking speeds, chaotic restarts and complete lack of European politeness.
Could this be the right move to reboot his F1 ambitions? Red Bull’s ever-outspoken Helmut Marko has weighed in, naturally offering a blend of caution and encouragement.
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Schumacher’s American detour
The 26-year-old has recently spent an unusual amount of time in the United States, immersing himself in the IndyCar scene and even testing a car. The question practically asks itself: is Mick gearing up for an American adventure, or is he simply testing the waters to make Formula 1 sit up and take notice again?
In a recent interview with RTL, Marko acknowledged the appeal.
“It’s a good series; it’s very competitive,” he said, pointing to Juan Pablo Montoya as proof that IndyCar can be a stepping stone to Formula 1 glory. Montoya made the jump from IndyCar to Williams in 2001, after all, and promptly began making life difficult for Michael Schumacher — yes, Mick’s father.
However, while Marko praised the competitiveness of IndyCar, he also played the role of the stern motorsport elder.
“That would be too dangerous for me,” he warned.
“At an average speed of up to 340 km/h, there’s a risk of serious accidents. In such a case, it’s usually a major crash.”
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Courage or caution?
IndyCar’s combination of high-speed ovals, bumpy street circuits and minimal downforce makes it one of the purest, and most perilous racing series in the world. For Mick, it would be a trial by fire, quite literally, if his luck with Haas returns. Yet Marko still sees a silver lining.
“It could be a good step for Mick; he had a very encouraging test there,” he said.
“If he settles in America and learns the oval tricks, he’ll need a few races for that, then it will certainly go well.”
This sounds suspiciously like approval wrapped in a thin layer of paternal warning. After all, Marko knows what it takes to break into Formula 1. He also knows how quickly drivers can disappear into obscurity once they fall off the radar, and IndyCar could either reignite Schumacher’s relevance or consign him to irrelevance faster than you can say ‘double points finish’.
The Marko Paradox
Marko’s comments reveal his duality: he is both a cheerleader and a doomsday prophet. On the one hand, he’s encouraging Mick to keep pushing; perhaps he sees something of the old Red Bull grit in him. On the other hand, he’s reminding Mick that IndyCar is not for the faint-hearted, or those who prefer their races without concrete walls.
Then there’s the matter of how the European paddock views American racing. Despite its prestige and heritage, IndyCar still has a reputation as the “lesser cousin” of Formula 1. For Mick, it could be a route back to the spotlight, or perhaps an unspoken farewell tour from the European stage.
Meanwhile, Marko’s attention is focused on Red Bull’s own end-of-season drama. With only four races left, the battle for the 2025 title remains tantalisingly open.
“We believe in it,” he insisted. “We have the will and a small chance. In 2010, we achieved it in the final race; the same happened in 2012, and Verstappen became world champion in the last lap in 2021.”
Verstappen, the four-time champion, is currently in unfamiliar territory, sitting third in the standings behind McLaren’s rising stars, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. If he manages to pull off another late-season comeback, says Marko, it would be “particularly sensational”.
One imagines the celebrations would be as restrained as ever, just a few fireworks and a sigh of relief throughout the factory.
Tiny details, massive stakes
With Verstappen on 321 points, Piastri on 356 and Norris on 357, the championship is balanced on a razor’s edge. Marko insists that “nuances will decide it”, which roughly translates as ‘we’ll need a miracle and a few pit stop errors from McLaren’.
Nevertheless, his belief in Verstappen’s resilience remains unshakable.
“Now it’s a matter of having nerves of steel and not making any mistakes,” he said. This stoic mantra defines Red Bull’s culture: ruthless and exacting, yet undeniably effective.
As for Mick Schumacher, perhaps he could learn a thing or two from Verstappen’s relentless drive. If he truly wants to secure a place on the Formula 1 grid, he’ll need to do more than just stay relevant; he’ll have to be exceptional. Whether that path leads through the heart of America or back into the European paddock remains to be seen.
The jury remains out, as always. But one thing is certain: the motorsport soap opera never sleeps, and if Marko is talking, there is always another plot twist just around the corner.
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Ferrari are not having the season they hoped for. Having signed seven times champion Lewis Hamilton for top dollar, thy believed the 2025 Formula One season would be the one that finally ended their seventeen year drought of championship titles.
Yet as the Italian media consistently report, there’s trouble in Maranello and its root and cause sits at the top of the team with Fred Vasseur. He proudly announced at the annual festive bash at the Scuderia’s HQ that the team’s “2025 car will be completely new.”
TJ13 commented at the time this was a remarkably strange decision for a number of reasons. Firstly, in the final year of car design regulations, the teams are scratching around for marginal gains based on the learning they have made over the previous three seasons. To build a whole new car bins much of that knowledge as the team is forced to almost start from scratch.
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Secondly, the SF-24 proved to be the fastest car by far over the final six race weekends of 2024, having closed the 74 point gap to McLaren after Singapore to just 14 come the chequered flag falling in Abu Dhabi.
This bizarre decision has never been fully addressed by Vasseur and the team and their slender lead over Mercedes and McLaren for second place in the title race ignores the elephant in the room. Max Verstappen has almost the number of points that Hamilton and Leclerc have posted together, despite a troublesome RB21 and no help from his team mate and Mercedes are running an 18 year old rookie alongside George Russell.
The Achilles heel of the SF-24 has been its inability to run with a suspension setup that optimises the underfloor downforce without breaking ride height regulations measured by the thickness of the ‘plank’ at the end of the Grand Prix.
At the second round of the 2025 championship in China, Lewis Hamilton was disqualified by the FIA scrutineers for running his car at an illegal ride height and the problems have persisted for the entire campaign this season. A suspension upgrade for the Belgian Grand Prix was supposed to fix the problem, but at the subsequent weekend in Hungary disaster struck for Charles Leclerc…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Craig.J. Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
During race weekends, Craig acts as desk lead, directing contributors, prioritising breaking stories, and ensuring timely publication across a fast-moving news cycle.
Craig’s work focuses heavily on real-time developments in the paddock, including team updates, regulatory decisions, and emerging controversies. This role requires a detailed understanding of Formula 1’s operational flow, from practice sessions through to race-day strategy and post-race fallout.
With experience managing editorial teams, Craig ensures that TJ13 delivers structured, reliable coverage while maintaining the site’s distinctive voice.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
