Tag: Mick Schumacher

Ocon eyes competing at Le Mans with Alpine in the future

Esteban Ocon has hinted that he’d like to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day, following the unveiling of the new Alpine A424 hypercar alongside its new Formula 1 car earlier this week. The brand will compete in both Formula 1 and the …

Esteban Ocon has hinted that he’d like to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day, following the unveiling of the new Alpine A424 hypercar alongside its new Formula 1 car earlier this week.

The brand will compete in both Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship this year, being the only other brand besides Ferrari to have a full presence on both grids.

When asked whether he’d be interested in sampling Alpine’s other top-level offering, Ocon said the car looked “mega” and opened the door to participating at Le Mans should the opportunity arise in future, and hinted that he might not be the only one.

“The focus is always 2000 percent on Formula 1, but I think as soon as one F1 driver will do Le Mans while the F1 season is going, many more drivers will do so, and I’m waiting for that moment to see what happens,” he said.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1416]

The last full time F1 driver to compete at Le Mans was Nico Hulkenberg in 2015. While competing for Force India, Hulkenberg raced at the Six Hours of Spa and Le Mans for Porsche alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber, winning the latter.

While no current F1 drivers will participate at Le Mans this year, there will be plenty of recent F1 talent on the grid, including 2023 Le Mans winner Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari), Nyck de Vries (Toyota), and Mick Schumacher who will be making his debut in the World Endurance Championship for Alpine.

“It’s fantastic for the Alpine endurance team to have Mick,” Ocon said of Schumacher joining the Alpine family. “I think he’s bringing a lot of experience, expertise, and he’s obviously a very talented driver in general and I really hope that they are going to be winning Le Mans this year.”

Ocon also mentioned his desire to get Schumacher back into F1, saying, “I’ll be supporting, cheering for them and I hope to see Mick in Formula 1 in the near future again.”

WEC stint might help Schumacher return to F1 – Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes a stint in the World Endurance Championship might help Mick Schumacher return to a Formula 1 race seat in future. Schumacher (pictured at right, above, with Wolff and Mercedes driver development director …

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes a stint in the World Endurance Championship might help Mick Schumacher return to a Formula 1 race seat in future.

Schumacher (pictured at right, above, with Wolff and Mercedes driver development director Jerome d’Ambrosio) was dropped by Haas after two seasons with the team in 2021 and ’22, taking on a role as Mercedes reserve driver last year. With no movement in the F1 driver market this winter, Schumacher has secured a race seat with Alpine as it enters a Hypercar in the WEC, and Wolff thinks it could be beneficial to any future F1 hopes for the German.

“Mick is a good driver and deserves to be in F1,” Wolff said. “Sadly, there isn’t any place free at present. Mick going into WEC, which is a world championship with a constructor like Alpine, is a very good opportunity for him. I believe he’s going to do a perfect job and it keeps him sharp racing and possibly help him come back into Formula 1.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

While Schumacher admits it has been frustrating being on the sidelines this year, he will now get to race alongside his Mercedes role and he says he’s keen to further his development as the team looks to return to competitiveness.

Mick’s father Michael Schumacher first emerged as a star with the Sauber Mercedes sports car team before advancing to F1. Motorsport Images

“As a team, we win and lose together and when things are difficult, you definitely feel that,” Schumacher said. “All I want to do is help the team to success and we all worked very hard to try and get the car back up to speed. Especially now with the W15 already in the works, we all are 100% focused on trying to have a successful 2024.

“It’s a great opportunity to stay with the team for next year as the reserve driver and keep on learning, keep building on what we’ve achieved this year. I think we’re all very keen to get started and on track with the W15, so it will be very nice to be part of that process.

“I can also continue to build on all the relationships with the team. It’s been good to spend so much time with everyone and get to know also, the people who have been here when my dad was. It’s a very special team and a very special bond that they have.”

Schumacher joins Alpine WEC team, keeps Mercedes F1 reserve role

Mick Schumacher will return to racing in 2024 with Alpine in the FIA World Endurance Championship, while retaining his position as Mercedes reserve driver. The German was replaced at Haas by Nico Hulkenberg ahead of this season and joined Mercedes – …

Mick Schumacher will return to racing in 2024 with Alpine in the FIA World Endurance Championship, while retaining his position as Mercedes reserve driver.

The German was replaced at Haas by Nico Hulkenberg ahead of this season and joined Mercedes — a team his father Michael used to race for — in a reserve role. That’s meant he hasn’t raced this year but has been testing Alpine’s A424 Hypercar and has been confirmed as one of the six drivers that will be part of its 2024 lineup in WEC.

“A new chapter is beginning for me with Alpine in the FIA WEC Hypercar category,” Schumacher said. “The car is impressive, and I can’t wait to get started. I’ve grown up with single-seaters, so driving a car with a closed cockpit and covered wheels is a great opportunity to hone my driving skills.

“I sorely missed racing this year; it’s what I’ve loved to do since I was a kid, and it was sometimes difficult to watch the other drivers take to the track. Endurance racing is a new challenge for me, and I’m sure we will share great moments together next year with Alpine.”

Schumacher will race alongside Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Charles Milesi, Paul-Loup Chatin and Ferdinand Habsburg across the two Alpine entries (click here for separate story).

Alongside those race duties, Mercedes has confirmed it will still lean on Schumacher as a reserve option whenever the two calendars do not clash.

“Delighted to confirm that Mick Schumacher will retain his reserve driver role with the team for 2024,” Mercedes confirmed. “We’re excited to see Mick continue to contribute to our team alongside his new challenge in WEC next season.”

Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher “working on” finding 2024 drive

The former Haas driver admitted to Sky Germany that time is running out for him to find a seat in 2024.

It’s no secret that former Haas F1 driver [autotag]Mick Schumacher[/autotag] wants to get back on the Formula 1 grid. Whether or not he can, though, is another question.

According to Italian website FORMU1A.UNO, Schumacher spoke to Sky Sports Germany about his attempts to get an F1 seat for 2024. The current Mercedes reserve driver said that although he’s still trying, the clock is ticking on his ability to find a drive as the current F1 season is coming to a close.

“I’m still working on it,” Schumacher told Sky Germany. “Time is running out a bit, but in the end, I have to take my time.”

Schumacher raced at Haas F1 for two seasons before being replaced by driver Nico Hulkenberg, who had been out of F1 for around four years (occasionally racing as a reserve driver) up to that point. Schumacher, who won Formula 2 in 2020, scored 12 career points in 33 starts.

He eventually signed with Mercedes at the encouragement of boss Toto Wolff, who has often been complimentary of Schumacher. He told German publication Motorsport Total that he believes Schumacher deserves to be racing in F1.

“I think he deserves to be on the starting grid. If you win Formula 2 and Formula 3, then you have great potential,” Wolff said. “He was never able to show that at Haas.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Schumacher feeling better prepared for Mercedes race chance after test

Mick Schumacher says his appearance for Mercedes during a Pirelli tire test in Spain has helped ensure he is better prepared if he ever needs to race for the team. The former Haas driver is the Mercedes reserve this season, and has been carrying out …

Mick Schumacher says his appearance for Mercedes during a Pirelli tire test in Spain has helped ensure he is better prepared if he ever needs to race for the team.

The former Haas driver is the Mercedes reserve this season, and has been carrying out simulator duties alongside a trackside presence with the team. Schumacher got his first taste of the 2023 Mercedes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday and says he can use the test to both provide better feedback as well as know how the team operates in case he needs to replace either Lewis Hamilton or George Russell at any stage.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

“This experience will definitely benefit me in my role,” Schumacher said. “I have a better understanding of what to look out for and what to work on. I also have a better understanding of all the procedures and how the team works trackside. That would be a key factor in case I ever have to jump in and race.

“There is obviously a difference between the simulator and driving in the real world. There will always be a difference as the technology is not at a point where you can compare it 100%. However, it is the closest experience I’ve had between a simulator and real life. The simulator has prepared me, and the team has made a great effort of correlating it. That helped me to know what to expect when driving it. It’s clear why this team is an eight-time world champion.”

Schumacher also found it a beneficial day in terms of understanding Pirelli’s plans for tires in 2024, as well as getting a feel for the upgraded Mercedes across 152 laps in the car.

“It was great! I learned a lot and it was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a very productive day; we got through everything we wanted to and ran every test tire on the plan. It was also good to have that first experience of the tires without any blankets. Obviously having not driven in a while, I felt it physically, but it was good to be back in the driving seat.

“It was great to drive the new update package. Of course I hadn’t driven the launch package so I couldn’t make that direct comparison. From all the communications I’ve heard from the drivers, though, I could feel and agree with a lot of their comments when driving. It was very straightforward.”