Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is strengthening its squad… before the arrival of Mick Schumacher?

Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan's team has not been at its best in recent seasons, apart from a victory achieved by Christian Lundgaard on the streets of Toronto in 2023. While for the moment only Graham Rahal and Louis Foster are confirmed for the upcoming season, behind the scenes, the work continues under the leadership of the team's new president, Jay Frye.

Former president of theIndyCarThis 60-year-old businessman therefore possesses a unique experience in the paddock. From his position above the fray, he has been able to observe the strengths and weaknesses of each individual in the operational roles of the various teams in the paddock.

When the former Arrow team principal McLaren Gavin Ward became available, and Jay Frye took the opportunity to recruit him, initially in a consultant role. Before Arrow McLaren, Ward was part of the Penske team, specifically driving Josef Newgarden's car, the 2019 champion. The Canadian's career had initially taken him to Formula 1, where he worked for the stable Red Bull four-time world champion from 2010 to 2014.

“Gavin has joined us in a special advisory role, and we’re thrilled to have him on board,” Frye told Racer.com. “He’s already working on a few projects, and it’s going really well. I’ve known him for a long time; he’s a great guy, and working on these initial projects will allow us to define more precisely what he’ll be doing for us. He’s already a huge help to the team.”

Ward is not the only former Arrow McLaren employee to have joined the team, as he is reunited with Brian Barnhart, now Vice President of Operations at RLL, as well as Kyle Sagan, in charge of pit stops, and mechanic Heath Kosik.

Restructuring for Mick Schumacher?

The numerous new arrivals at Bobby Rahal's team are a strong signal of the ambitions of the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner as a driver, and then in 2004 and 2020 as a team owner. Are these arrivals a prelude to a possible signing of Mick Schumacher ?

The German driver did indeed test a Dallara-Honda from the team last month in Indianapolis, and showed great interest in the possibility of returning to the carHis departure from the team has been confirmed.Endurance byAlpinecoupled with the extension of the partnership with sponsor Droplight and significant recruitment at RLL are all signs that would lead the son of Michael Schumacher towards IndyCar as early as next season.

With the second Dale Coyne Racing seat, RLL is the only team still with a vacant seat, although Devlin DeFrancesco, who drove the #30 this year, has a multi-year contract. This contract could, however, be tied to performance clauses, and with Mick Schumacher available and interested, there's no doubt that Rahal, Letterman, and Lanigan would be willing to negotiate a financial deal with the Canadian to get him to vacate his seat earlier than planned.

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