Mick Schumacher finishes 19th in IndyCar Portland practice

German rookie Mick Schumacher qualified 19th in his first IndyCar practice session at Portland International Raceway, trailing the leader by 0.716 seconds. The 27‑year‑old drove for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in a Honda‑powered car wrapped in a Vanda Pharmaceuticals‑branded livery, marking the biotech firm’s debut as a motorsport sponsor.

Schumacher had not tested on the 3.166‑km circuit, relying instead on a simulator run ahead of the weekend. He improved to 19th after the initial 40‑minute group session, posting a time just under a minute, typical for the short track. Champion Alex Palou set the fastest lap (58.571 s), followed by Kyle Kirkwood and Rinus VeeKay. Schumacher’s teammate Louis Foster finished fifth.

The Portland event opens a six‑race IndyCar season, with the season finale scheduled for Laguna Seca in five weeks, where Schumacher’s team plans to focus its testing efforts.