Mick Schumacher lost his Haas seat to Nico Hulkenberg in 2023. The German driver then joined Mercedes as their development driver for the year after failing to find a full-time seat. While he will continue to serve the Silver Arrows in that role in 2024 as well, he will also race for Alpine, albeit in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The 24-year-old recently thanked the French team for rekindling that lost spark for racing in him.
Speaking at Alpine’s 2024 car launch, Schumacher said, “I think the move was quite clear. It’s the closest [series] to Formula 1. The whole project really sparked that flame in me to want to go and race [in WEC].”
Haas finished the 2022 season eighth in the constructors’ standings with just 37 points. The abysmal run saw team principal Guenther Steiner face some pressing questions from owner Gene Haas.
Amid all the pressure, Steiner reportedly also fell out with Schumacher, who was undergoing a bad patch himself. Since the German driver managed to register just 12 points against his teammate Kevin Magnussen’s 25, he ended up losing his seat at the end of the season.
The decision, however, did not go down well with the fans. Haas came under fire for the sacking and Steiner especially bore the brunt of the criticism.
Moreover, some experts sided with Schumacher as well, as his consistent track record prior to the 2022 season supported his case. That’s not it as even Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff lobbied for Schumacher, urging teams to offer him a seat for 2023.
All efforts, however, failed and Schumacher spent an entire season on the sidelines. As the teams locked their driver lineups once again pretty early for 2024, Schumacher once again had no other option but to choose WEC to sustain his motor racing career.
Can WEC stint with Alpine help Mick Schumacher make F1 comeback?
The 2024 season will mark Alpine’s debut in WEC’s Hypercar category. Mick Schumacher will join the experienced Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere to partner up for car #36. The French automaker’s other car, #35, will have Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin with young talent Charles Milesi.
All six drivers joined Alpine’s launch event. Apart from the much-awaited F1 car, the A524, the constructor also unveiled its WEC challenger, the A424. While the F1 car failed to impress fans, the hypercar’s taillights, designed as Alpine’s logo, grabbed the spotlight.
While it would be a tall ask to expect race wins from the debutant team, Schumacher will certainly look to leave a mark. He will look to use this opportunity to pivot a return to F1.
With several drivers running out of their contracts at the end of the 2024 season, Schumacher might successfully land a seat for 2025. There is also a minute possibility that Schumacher could make a blockbuster return to F1 with Mercedes. Since Lewis Hamilton is set to make a switch to Ferrari in 2025, the Silver Arrows will need a replacement.
