{"id":1482,"date":"2026-09-01T18:50:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1482"},"modified":"2026-09-01T18:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:50:19","slug":"opel-mick-schumacher-formula-e-talks-gen4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/formula-e\/opel-mick-schumacher-formula-e-talks-gen4\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Opel\u2019s talks with Schumacher did not become a Formula E deal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Opel approached Mick Schumacher about joining its Formula E project<\/strong> before signing Mitch Evans and Th\u00e9o Pourchaire for the Gen4 era.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Schumacher chose to remain focused on IndyCar<\/strong>, where he currently races for RLL, and did not continue discussions with Opel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Opel has already begun private Gen4 testing with Evans<\/strong>, with the Stellantis-powered car scheduled for homologation in October ahead of its December debut.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With its Formula E debut set for next season, which is scheduled to begin in December, <strong>Opel held talks with a former Formula 1 driver before completing its lineup with Mitch Evans and Th\u00e9o Pourchaire<\/strong>. Initially looking for a German driver to represent the brand, the team sought information about Mick Schumacher, who currently competes for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in IndyCar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <em>Formula E Notebook<\/em>, however, <strong>the discussions between Schumacher and Opel were brief<\/strong>. Interested in remaining in IndyCar after his Formula 1 opportunities had run out, Mick decided not to pursue the talks, which took place before Opel officially unveiled its Gen4 car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of having a German driver had been under consideration at Opel for some time. Tim Tramnitz was also considered for the seat, but <strong>a private Gen4 test involving Pourchaire convinced the team that the Frenchman was the stronger option<\/strong>. Tramnitz subsequently reached an agreement with BMW to become a factory driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schumacher, meanwhile, remains focused on IndyCar but could still change teams for the 2027 season. <strong>After one year with RLL, the German is reportedly close to moving to Meyer Shank Racing<\/strong> next season as he continues his career in the American championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opel, for its part, is continuing its preparations for the Gen4 era. The manufacturer has already conducted private tests in Andalusia and Guadix, Spain, and <strong>Evans is expected to continue driving the Stellantis-powered single-seater throughout September<\/strong> before the car undergoes official homologation in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project will then move toward its competitive debut in December, when the <strong>2026-27 Formula E season is scheduled to begin in Jeddah<\/strong>. The arrival of Opel will be one of the notable changes brought by the new Gen4 regulations, which are set to introduce a significant step in performance and efficiency for the electric championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mick Schumacher&#8217;s Formula E opportunity ultimately never materialized, but the German remains active in top-level motorsport through IndyCar. <strong>His decision to stay in the United States reflects his current priority of building a career outside Formula 1<\/strong>, where his chances of returning to the grid have diminished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020310240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Schumacher-Borchetta-Bourbon-Music-City-Grand-Prix-presented-by-OnlyBulls-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m160604-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mick Schumacher was approached by Opel during the team&#8217;s driver selection process (Photo: Indy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Did Opel offer Mick Schumacher a Formula E seat?<\/strong><br>Opel <strong>held discussions with Schumacher as it searched for a German driver<\/strong> for its Gen4 project, but the talks did not develop into a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Why did Mick Schumacher reject Opel\u2019s Formula E project?<\/strong><br>Schumacher was <strong>focused on continuing his IndyCar career<\/strong> after his Formula 1 opportunities had run out. He therefore chose not to continue discussions with Opel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Who will drive for Opel in Formula E?<\/strong><br><strong>Mitch Evans and Th\u00e9o Pourchaire<\/strong> will form Opel&#8217;s driver lineup for its Formula E debut in the Gen4 era. The team is currently conducting private testing ahead of homologation and the start of the new season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preparing to enter Formula E for the Gen4 era, Opel approached a former Formula 1 driver before settling on Mitch Evans and Th\u00e9o Pourchaire for its debut season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1001079139,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Opel approached Mick Schumacher about joining its Formula E project","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Formula E","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[23,9,338,216,232,279,177,337,339],"42wp_author":[22],"class_list":["post-1482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-e","tag-formula-e","tag-indycar","tag-meyer-shank-racing","tag-mick-schumacher","tag-mitch-evans","tag-opel","tag-rll","tag-stellantis","tag-theo-pourchaire","42wp_author-jp-nascimento"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1483,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1482\/revisions\/1483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1001079139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1482"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}