Mick Schumacher began his IndyCar career this past weekend, competing in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
With his first weekend complete, the well-known driver is back behind the wheel of single seater cars following a two year stint in WEC driving prototype sportscars.
Schumacher answered questions during the event and described how his time in endurance racing was mostly about staying within reach of Formula 1 should an opportunity to return materialize.
Because it did not, the son of racing legend Michael Schumacher chose to take up an offer for IndyCar. Not the first time he’s had that opportunity.
I wouldn’t say that it rekindled [my love of single seaters], because it has never gone away,” said Schumacher told MotorsportWeek.com.
“I have always wanted to be in single seater; I love single seater racing. For me it was pretty easy to get in and be happy knowing this is what I want to do.
“My aim was always to be in single seaters. The endurance program that I did was for the potential to stay in contention with F1. That’s why I did it.
I had offers to come over here [to IndyCar] already before that, but I chose to wait a little bit to see what my options were there. Once I saw those options were a bit difficult to acquire, then I said ‘What I really want to do is race in single seaters,’ so I had to look elsewhere.
“IndyCar was the best opportunity for me in that case.”
Schumacher’s debut IndyCar weekend did not go as planned, as he was caught up in a first-lap incident that forced him to retire.
Regardless, the German driver is excited to tackle the rest of the season.