Mick Schumacher confirmed that he was “in contention” for a Cadillac F1 seat right up until crunch time and a decision was made.

Ultimately, Cadillac F1 opted to go in a “different direction” by uniting the experienced Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as their first Formula 1 driver line-up. Schumacher, who will make his IndyCar debut in 2026, can understand the decision.

Mick Schumacher was ‘in contention’ for Cadillac F1 drive

F1 2026 will usher great change into the sport, with new chassis and engine regulations on the way.

The cars are set to become smaller and 30 kilograms lighter, while active aerodynamics will come into play on both wings, as the Drag Reduction System [DRS] is retired.

The electrical energy output of the power unit meanwhile will triple, while the new internal combustion engine will run on fully sustainable biofuel.

There will also be new teams coming into play. Sauber will morph into Audi, while Cadillac F1 will arrive as an 11th team.

Bottas and Perez is the driver combination which Cadillac F1 has chosen, one which boasts 16 grand prix wins, ten for Bottas and six for Perez.

Also linked with a seat was former Haas driver Mick Schumacher, who since losing his drive at the end of 2022, has been linked with a comeback with half the teams on the grid. Yet, no return has materialised.

With the Cadillac F1 door also closing, Schumacher was asked by PlanetF1.com how advanced talks became with the incoming team.

“I think that the whole situation has been a tough one in some ways, but also, I think understandably, they went into a different direction,” he replied.

“The information that I had, up to pretty much the end, we’ve been in contention for that seat, and then they went a different direction, which is fair enough.

“And it just led to me having to understand, ‘Okay, what do I want? Do I want to try and keep getting back onto the F1 grid? Or, do I want to do racing that I enjoy, and that’s obviously single seaters?’

Schumacher got his wish, having signed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to contest the full 2026 IndyCar campaign.

“Thankfully, the opportunity came up with a team,” he continued, “and I’m super glad and super happy to be here where I am now.”

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The path from IndyCar to F1 driver is not a particularly well-travelled road. Multi-time IndyCar race winner Colton Herta is going all-in on the dream, but that will see him head to Formula 2 next season, rather than F1, as another driver who was heavily linked with a Cadillac F1 seat. He was forced to settle for the test driver role.

Schumacher was therefore asked whether he considered his IndyCar move a closing of the book on his F1 career.

“No,” he confirmed.

“I think that in any case, obviously, the world of F1 is a very specific one and a special one, but obviously it’s still single seater, and I think that there’s been plenty of great drivers, and numerously, also set into affiliation with some other teams in F1 for good reason.

“So I don’t see why the move to IndyCar would close that door.”

Schumacher is set to partner Graham Rahal and Louis Foster at RLL in his rookie IndyCar campaign.

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