Mick Schumacher Announces Interesting Career Change As He Signs With Alpine

Friday, 24 November 2023 at 06:00

It's clear that Mick Schumacher won't appear on the F1 grid in 2024, as the German driver signed a brand-new deal with French team Alpine outside of Formula One.

Mick Schumacher, son of legendary Michael Schumacher, is one of the talented German drivers, but his career in F1 didn't go as expected. After winning F3 Championship in 2018 and F2 Championship in 2020, he made a switch to Formula One, but failed to replicate the success.

First, he served as the test driver for Alfa Romeo and Haas in 2020, during the season in which he won the F2 Championship, before securing his seat in Haas for the 2021 season alongside Nikita Mazepin.

In that season, it seemed that Schumacher proved his talent when he beat the Russian in 15 out of 20 races that they had both entered, and at least one of them has finished, however, a big reality check came one season later.

With the Russian driver not able to compete in Formula One, Kevin Magnussen stepped in, and he quickly showed his experience of a veteran, outscoring the German driver 25 to 12.

In the following season, which is the current 2023 Formula One season, Schumacher didn't get a seat in any of the teams, and he served as a reserve driver for Mercedes, mostly watching every race from the paddock with the team principal Toto Wolff.

But now, the German has made an interesting career switch, as he signed with French team Alpine, with which he will be competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2024.

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He will be joining the likes of Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Charles Milesi, Paul-Loup Chatin, and Ferdinand Habsburg. Speaking about his new team and slight career alternation, the German driver said:

"A new chapter is beginning for me with Alpine in the FIA WEC hypercar category. 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."

Schumacher also admitted that seeing his former colleagues compete during the 2023 F1 season, while he only had to watch from the garage, was difficult, and that's why he wanted to jump into a race car again.

"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."

Bruno Famin, who is the vice-president of Alpine Motorsports, also commented on the new signing, and he believes that Schumacher will be the correct fit for their next year's car thanks to his enthusiasm.

"With [Team Principal] Philippe Sinault, we wanted drivers who are not only fast and reliable, but also showing a real team spirit and good racing acumen to best represent the Alpine colours in the premier category of the World Endurance Championship."

"It might be [Schumacher’s] first foray into endurance, but his enthusiasm for the project and his will to join us are palpable. I’m sure he will be a real asset."