Unser IndyCar Open Test Wraps-Up With Rossi Leading The Charge At Phoenix

Unser Open Test on Day 2 has Sting Ray Robb No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet leading Andretti Global Honda drivers Kyle Kirkwood No. 27 and Will Power No. 26 through the T2 complex at the East end of the track. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2026)

Unser IndyCar Open Test Wraps-Up With Rossi Leading The Charge At Phoenix

The Unser INDYCAR Open Test concluded on February 18, 2026, at Phoenix Raceway, delivering two days of valuable track time as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES prepares for its return to the historic 1-mile oval after an eight-year absence.

Alexander Rossi dominated the second and final day, sweeping both sessions in the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Java House Chevrolet and setting the outright fastest lap of the test at 174.542 mph during the rain-interrupted afternoon run.

Ed Carpenter Racing's Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen share some pit time after setting a strong Day 2 mark at the top of the speed charts - they unloaded Wednesday the strongest and continued to keep Chevrolet at the top of the overall charts as Rossi ended the two days fastest over all. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2026)

Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner whose last oval victory came at Pocono in 2018, expressed satisfaction with the program's progress, highlighting strong setups from teammate Christian Rasmussen and a solid baseline for the upcoming Good Ranchers 250 on March 7.

Ed Carpenter Racing placed two cars in the top four overall, with Rasmussen securing fourth at 173.924 mph, reinforcing the team's oval competitiveness heading into the early-season swing.

Unser Open Test - Combined Overall Results

Josef Newgarden claimed second on the combined charts for Team Penske with a 174.362 mph effort in the No. 2 XPEL Chevrolet, while reigning four-time champion Alex Palou rounded out the top three at 174.220 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

David Malukas continued his impressive start with Team Penske, posting 173.759 mph to land fifth overall and showing strong form after leading day one.

Only two teams were able to have a full-team-showing in the Top 10 positions - Ed Carpenter Racing and Andretti Global - Not Team Penske, Not Chip Ganassi Racing, Not Arrow McLaren, Not Meyer Shank Racing.

Rookie Mick Schumacher made notable strides in his oval education, topping the rookie category with 171.096 mph in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda and jumping more than 7 mph from his day-one best.

The test saw one incident when Marcus Ericsson spun and contacted the SAFER barrier in Turn 4 during the afternoon session, but the 2022 Indy 500 winner emerged unhurt from his No. 28 Andretti Global Honda.

A total of 4,853 laps were completed by the 25 drivers across both days, with Will Power turning the most at 259 laps as he integrates into Andretti Global following his long tenure at Team Penske.

Felix Rosenqvist, finishing seventh in the final session for Meyer Shank Racing, described the track as fun yet challenging, with low grip, wind sensitivity, and distinct corner characteristics that demand consistent setups amid variable conditions.

Rosenqvist noted significant tire degradation potential, up to two seconds from new to old rubber, and predicted multi-line racing could emerge later in the race as strategies diverge and rubber builds in the upper groove.

Nolan Siegel enjoyed his first Phoenix experience in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, calling the track unique with contrasting ends and praising the test for allowing experimentation and data-sharing across the team's three cars.

Siegel expressed high confidence in Arrow McLaren's short-oval pace, crediting off-season developments and the rare extended running for building momentum ahead of the March 1 season opener at St. Petersburg and the quick return to Phoenix.

Drivers emphasized the track's flow, the commitment required in Turns 3 and 4, and the excitement of blending INDYCAR with NASCAR fans during the shared weekend, while acknowledging uncertainties around weather, the new wider right-front Firestone tire, and the second lane's development in race conditions.

The test provided crucial preparation for a venue steeped in INDYCAR history, setting the stage for what promises to be a compelling oval battle when the series returns in hotter March weather for the Good Ranchers 250.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: #UnserOpenTest, #PhoenixRaceway, #INDYCAR2026, #AlexanderRossi, #EdCarpenterRacing, #GoodRanchers250, #MickSchumacher, #FelixRosenqvist, #NolanSiegel, #TeamPenske, #ChipGanassiRacing, #MotorsportsJournal

Rookies Find Their Feet At Phoenix: Day One Unser Open Test Wrap

Conor Daly & Jessie Punch interview Cail Collet, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet - Image Credit: NICS Video (2026)

Rookies Find Their Feet At Phoenix: Day One Unser Open Test Wrap

Day one of testing at Phoenix Raceway wrapped with the full 2026 IndyCar grid laid bare, rookies included, under the Arizona sun that shifts and plays tricks just like the wind does on these short ovals.

Conor Daly, riding shotgun in the broadcast booth with Jessie Punch, framed it plainly: a classic rookie day. Laps piled high, experience chased hard, no one rewriting the record books ... and that's exactly the point. This Unser Open Test isn't about fireworks; it's about stacking knowledge brick by brick before the real battles ignite.

The three newcomers - Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger, Cail Collet - each carved their own path through the session. 

Dennis Hauger, fresh off a dominant Indy NXT campaign, looked every bit the expected pace-setter among the rookies, marveling at the grip monster these high-downforce cars become on sticker tires. "Oh, there's some grip here," he said, the kind of understated awe that comes when a driver realizes the machine can take more than intuition first allows. He kept building, noted a few gremlins to sort, and eyed tomorrow for more baseline work in a field so tight that 17th was only a tenth or so off top-eight territory.

Cail Collet, settling into the AJ Foyt fold alongside the oval-savvy Santino Ferrucci, admitted to the inevitable greenhorn moment: a push too far on fresh rubber, misjudging the extra bite, clipping the apron in turn three or four and spinning into the wall. Lesson delivered the hard way, but he took it in stride - praising Ferrucci's openness with tips (even if ignoring the one about tire pressures and sun glare in turns three-four cost him dearly). Focus tomorrow: traffic runs, dirty air, placing the car right behind others. The steps from quali trim to race long-runs loom large, and he's hungry to log the data, watch the videos, shadow the veterans.

TAP Image To Launch Video Presentation

Mick Schumacher, ever analytical and quick to push back on the "rookie" label - he's raced too long, claimed too many starts elsewhere to wear it comfortably - treated the day as championship business from the jump. He stacked laps, more than most, dialing in the peculiarities of Phoenix: the flat-ish banking that tilts the car outward unexpectedly, the hooked feel in turn three, the wind gusts that shove or suck the aero balance corner to corner. The biggest adjustment? Learning to relax in the seat with a pad for consistency over long stints ... counter to years of tensing up to feel the car precisely. Firestone tires feel worlds apart from Pirelli or Michelin; mastering their window is the immediate homework. Teammate Graham Rahal's counsel rang true: every oval tells its own story, and Phoenix whispered its secrets in differences from Homestead or Sebring.

Beyond the new blood, the timesheet told familiar tales with fresh twists. Team Penske's machines hummed fast as anticipated, but Josef Newgarden, short-oval royalty, found himself shaded by new teammate David Malukas at day's end, while old wingman Will Power lurked close in the Andretti entry. McLaren's squad stayed quiet, potential still holstered; Graham Rahal Hall's push to 11th hinted at progress on a program that has historically wrestled these bullrings.

The field? Razor-close. Top 20 within half a second. Margins microscopic. Rust shaken off, new Firestones waiting for day two.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: #IndyCar, #PhoenixRaceway, #UnserOpenTest, #RookieDay, #DennisHauger, #Kyle, #MickSchumacher, #TeamPenske, #ShortOvalGrip, #IndyCarTesting, @IndyCarOnFOX

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Land Mick Schumacher – A New Chapter Written In Quiet Confidence

Mick Schumacher officially unveiled in RLL black: No. 47 Honda, full-time 2026, ready to take on ovals, streets, and everything INDYCAR throws at him. A new chapter begins. Image Credit: NICS ZOOM Call Video (2025)

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Land Mick Schumacher – A New Chapter Written In Quiet Confidence

In the often theatrical world of modern motorsport announcements, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing chose understatement. 

A simple press release on Monday, followed by a Tuesday morning ZOOM Call, confirmed what had been whispered for weeks: Mick Schumacher, 43-race Formula 1 veteran and three-time World Endurance Championship podium finisher, will drive the No. 47 Honda full-time in the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The move is seismic, yet the tone from team owner Bobby Rahal, president Jay Frye, and Schumacher himself was characteristically Midwestern: measured, pragmatic, and already focused on the work ahead.

Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion turned team principal, opened with credit where it was unequivocally due. “I give tremendous credit to Jay for really making this all happen,” he said of Frye, the former INDYCAR competition czar who has injected new life into RLL since taking the reins earlier this year. Rahal also singled out sportscar veteran Dirk Müller for facilitating the initial introduction. In an era of manufactured drama, Rahal’s willingness to share the spotlight felt refreshingly joyful and authentic.

Jay Frye, a man who has closed more difficult deals than most team presidents ever attempt, described the courtship with the calm of someone who knew the outcome weeks ago. A four-day evaluation in October – simulator runs, seat fits, and finally a full-day private test on the Indianapolis road course – convinced everyone involved. “It was pretty quick,” Frye said with a grin. “After those four days, Mick had 150 new followers inside the team.” The mechanics, engineers, and fabricators had voted with their enthusiasm long before any contract was signed.

Mick Schumacher appeared on the press conference call from Europe, polite and composed, carrying the quiet gravitas that comes from growing up as Michael Schumacher’s son. When asked about reclaiming his familiar No. 47 – the number he created in Formula 1 by merging the unavailable 4 and 7 – he allowed himself a small, private smile. “There were so many little funny twists with that number,” he said. That INDYCAR had it available felt almost predestined, another subtle thread connecting past and future.

Rahal was characteristically blunt about what sealed the deal. “Everybody was impressed with Mick – not just his pace, but his persona, his humility, the way he went about his work.” Coming from a team owner who once employed drivers of the caliber of Kenny Bräck, Buddy Lazier, and Ryan Hunter-Reay, the praise carried weight. Rahal declared the 2026 trio of Schumacher, Graham Rahal, and reigning Rookie of the Year Louis Foster the strongest three-car lineup in the team’s history – a bold statement from a man not prone to hyperbole.

Frye laid out the aggressive integration plan with military precision: four dedicated oval tests, two additional road-course days, and a single street-course session at Sebring. The schedule is deliberately front-loaded to compress Schumacher’s learning curve before the season opener in St. Petersburg. For a driver who has never competed on an oval at speed, the program is ambitious, but no one on the ZOOM Call betrayed even a flicker of doubt.

Schumacher addressed the inevitable European question about oval danger with a maturity that silenced skeptics. “Motorsports on the whole is dangerous,” he said, echoing a truth American open-wheel fans have lived with for generations. He specifically credited Frye and INDYCAR’s safety advancements for giving him confidence. It was the answer of someone who had done far more than skim headlines – he had studied the data, spoken to the right people, and made peace with the risk.

The contrast with his Formula 1 experience could not have been clearer. In F1, Schumacher noted, “you have a pretty good idea where you’re going to finish before the lights go out.” INDYCAR, by contrast, is glorious uncertainty. “Almost anybody can win a race,” he said, and the hunger in his voice was unmistakable. After two seasons largely spent on the sidelines at Haas, he is returning to a formula where driver skill can still overturn the odds.

Bobby Rahal: 1986 Indy 500 champion, team owner, and the man who just built RLL’s strongest ever lineup. Quietly
reloading for 2026. Image Credit: NICS ZOOM Call Video (2025)

Louis Foster, the soft-spoken Englishman who claimed the 2025 Rookie of the Year title in a dramatic late-race pass at Portland combined with a dramatic late race swing at the season finale at Nashville now finds himself measuring against the ultimate yardstick. Foster’s meteoric rise – Indy NXT champion in 2024, consistent top-six runner in his debut INDYCAR season – suddenly shares garage space with a global name. The internal competition has been elevated to a level RLL has rarely enjoyed.

Graham Rahal, long the standard-bearer for the family legacy, sounded genuinely energized by the new dynamic. With his oval expertise, Foster’s road-course brilliance, and Schumacher’s elite single-seater pedigree, the trio forms a complementary whole greater than the sum of its parts. For the first time in years, RLL enters an offseason believing it can fight for podiums on every weekend, not just the ones that suit the car - as it seemed to be the case at some event venues in 2025.

Behind the scenes, Frye has orchestrated a quiet revolution. Gavin Ward, fresh from engineering Josef Newgarden to the 2023 championship, is already embedded in the Schumacher program. New personnel – some already announced, many more still under wraps – are flowing into the Indianapolis shops. The team that limped to inconsistent results for much of the past decade is being rebuilt from the ground up.

When pressed for specific goals, Schumacher refused the trap of premature promises. “Everything will be new – tracks, ovals, teammates,” he said. Success, for now, is measured in adaptation and integration rather than trophies. It was the answer of a driver who has learned the hard way that motorsport punishes hubris.

Bobby Rahal, ever the realist, defined victory in terms any longtime INDYCAR observer would recognize: consistent competitiveness on every type of circuit, week in and week out. “This is a tough series,” he reminded everyone. “Everything has to go your way to win.” Yet for the first time in a long time, Rahal Letterman Lanigan believes the pieces are finally aligned for everything to go their way more often than not.

As the ZOOM Call ended and the screen went to check-out mode ... one truth lingered. Mick Schumacher is not coming to INDYCAR as a refugee from Formula 1 or a marketing exercise. He is coming because he believes this is the purest, most demanding single-seater racing on earth – and because Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, under Jay Frye’s relentless direction, is finally positioned to prove him right.

The sun, as Bobby Rahal likes to say, has indeed risen on the horizon. Come March in St. Petersburg, the No. 47 Honda will roll to the grid carrying more than a famous name. It will carry the quiet, steely expectation that a sleeping giant in American open-wheel racing has finally awakened.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: #MickToIndyCar, #MickSchumacher, #RLLRacing, #No47Honda, #INDYCAR2026, #RahalLettermanLanigan, #JayFrye, #BobbyRahal, #LouisFoster, #GrahamRahal, #OvalReady, #StPete2026, #TheEDJE

Mick Schumacher’s INDYCAR Test Nets A Strenuous Track Day At Indianapolis

Orientation to a test at IMS Road Course begins in earnest within the Pit Box of Rahal Letterman Lanigan with Mick Schumacher. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2025)

Mick Schumacher’s INDYCAR Test Nets A Strenuous Track Day At Indianapolis  

By Edmund Jenks ... notes from The EDJE

Mick Schumacher climbed into the No. 75 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as the sun hung low over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, casting long shadows across the reconfigured IMS road course. This was no sentimental pilgrimage, no passion play steeped in the legacy of his father, Michael Schumacher, who conquered this hallowed ground five times in Formula 1. No, this was a grueling, methodical track day - a full-throttle immersion into the raw, unfiltered demands of NTT INDYCAR Dallara machinery. 

For Mick, a driver with 43 Formula 1 starts and a current World Endurance Championship campaign, this test was a calculated exercise in data collection, not an emotional homecoming.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Monday, October 13, 2025 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Mick Schumacher - FULL Press Conference Above

Transcript With Edmund Jenks (click to launch video - 38.36 start time):

The EDJE: My interest is you're a professional driver. You don't just go out and just do a track day because it's fun. You're seriously considering INDYCAR. Is there anything about the variants of the types of racing that we have, whether it's -- I know you haven't done ovals, but we have short ovals, large ovals, you know, dedicated road courses, as well as street courses. Are there any races out there that interest you, any tracks that interest you, given that you are looking into this NTT INDYCAR SERIES approach?

MICK SCHUMACHER: There are great tracks out there. I think one of the big points, it is one of those places where you will find more old-school racetracks than new ones, and I think everybody kind of understands what I mean with that. I think that aspect is pretty fun.

Also, street circuits are usually very challenging, and they demand a lot from a racing driver. Yeah, I think there's a good mix from racetracks out there at the INDYCAR SERIES.

I don't want to talk too much about ovals. That's why I didn't kind of go there. Yeah, as I said earlier in this meeting, I am considering at some point maybe doing an oval just to see what it's about, whether that's going to be a short, mid, or long oval, I don't know. I didn't know there were those three different lengths to it.

But, yeah, I think, again, the series is a great series. It's a spec series, but still, there is some development you can do from team to team. So, yeah, racing seems fun. We'll see what opportunities it might have for me.

The EDJE: Finally, outside of the Indy 500, are there any specific races that you may have watched on television, and you go, Boy, I could myself in a car on that track? Are there any tracks that call to you?

MICK SCHUMACHER: I don't know how to really answer that, because I did watch a couple of tracks, but it's hard to really kind of feel that way if you haven't driven it.

I definitely am interested in seeing some other tracks out there. Today was good to be here to see this track. It was definitely a fun one. Racing, I'm sure, is a great pleasure here.

But, yeah, there's no real knowledge of mine that would say, okay, that one track is one that I would like to race on, for now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ENDS

Yard Of Bricks crossed as Mick Schumacher plys the same pavements seven-time Formula One World Champion, and father, Michael Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix five times on between 2000-07.Image Credit: Chris Jones via NICS (2025)

Schumacher’s day was a marathon of precision and adaptation. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan crew had a meticulously crafted run plan, and Mick executed it with the focus of a seasoned professional. Lap after lap, he wrestled with the nuances of the INDYCAR beast - its heavier steering, its aggressive tire behavior, its Aeroscreen-induced heat. “It feels very much like an F2 car,” he noted, drawing parallels to his championship-winning days, though the INDYCAR’s raw edge demanded a bolder approach. The Firestone tires, reminiscent of his F3 Hankook days, allowed him to push hard without the delicate conservation required in other series. This was no leisurely drive; it was a relentless pursuit of feedback and performance.

The preparation for this test was as intense as the day itself. Schumacher spent days embedded with the RLL team, poring over details in the workshop and logging hours in the Honda simulator. This wasn’t about soaking in the mystique of Indianapolis but about mastering the car’s quirks before he even turned a wheel. The simulator offered a taste of the INDYCAR’s handling, stripping away surprises and letting Mick focus on extracting data. “It was really important to see how a race weekend would run out,” he said, emphasizing the structured approach that defined the day. Every moment was about building a foundation, not chasing glory.

InstaGram image posted by Mick Schumacher showing the unique Aeroscreen entry into the cockpit of a
Dallara NTT INDYCAR platform. Image Credit: Mick Schumacher (2025)

The track itself was unforgiving, an old-school layout that punished mistakes with a trip into the grass. Schumacher relished the challenge, finding the circuit’s demands a fitting test for his skills. Comparisons to his Formula 1 experience were inevitable, but he dismissed nostalgia in favor of pragmatism. “I was focused on driving, doing my plan,” he said, shrugging off questions about his father’s legacy. The INDYCAR’s rough-and-tumble nature - less clinical than F1, with its spec-series ethos - required a different mindset. Mick adapted, noting the car’s looser rear end and the tactile connection provided by its heavier steering. This was a workout, not a reverie.

Challenges abounded, from decoding the team’s lingo - “stickers” for new tires left him briefly puzzled - to adjusting to the Aeroscreen’s stifling airflow. Yet Schumacher took it in stride, his focus unwavering. The physicality of the car, often hyped as a beast by other drivers, proved less daunting than expected. “I didn’t think it was that heavy,” he admitted, finding the steering’s feedback a source of connection rather than strain. The test wasn’t about heroics; it was about understanding the machine and its limits, a task Mick attacked with clinical efficiency.

For all the sweat and focus, the day wasn’t without its sparks of enjoyment. Schumacher’s love for open-wheel racing shone through, a nod to his father’s adage about Schumachers being fastest when they can see their wheels. The INDYCAR’s single-seater DNA appealed to him, its 17-race calendar a tantalizing prospect for a driver who thrives on competition. Yet he remained guarded about his future, weighing INDYCAR against other options for 2026. “It’s about me trying to figure out what I want to do,” he said, his decision-making process as deliberate as his laps. An oval test looms as a potential next step, but for now, Mick is content to analyze and reflect.

In the end, this was no romantic ode to racing’s past but a hard-fought day of work. Schumacher’s test was a masterclass in discipline, a driver fully immersed in the task at hand. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with its storied history, served as a backdrop, not a shrine. For Mick, the allure of INDYCAR lies in its driver-centric ethos, where talent behind the wheel still reigns supreme. As he packed up after a long debrief, the data gathered and lessons learned were the true trophies of the day - a strenuous track day, executed with purpose.

... notes from The EDJE

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