Mick Schumacher lost out on his F1 seat in 2022, after which he tried his trade in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). But his heart still belongs to the series in which almost every young driver dreams of succeeding. Schumacher has not been able to shake the F1 fever away despite being on the sidelines for the last two years.
Speaking to BILD, Schumacher admitted that even though the WEC helps him keep his driving skills afresh, he doesn’t get as excited; also because it is very different to F1.
The cars’ sturdy build allows drivers to play fast and loose when dueling with each other, making driving less precise. However, the same approach cannot be adopted in F1 as the cars are much less forgiving.
“I think that Formula 1 is still the most fun,” the German driver said. “Because it’s just so extreme that if you make the smallest mistake, you get a penalty straight away. Not from the stewards, but from the car.”
Schumacher did not have the best of times during his two-year stint with Haas, but it was enough to lock him into the sport forever. Driving a sub-par car, Schumacher failed to catch the eye, and unfortunately, his umpteenth number of crashes did little to help his reputation.
Haas boss Guenther Steiner chose not to renew his contract at the end of the 2022 season, leaving Schumacher with 12 career points and a best finish of 16th before exiting the sport.
Schumacher joined Mercedes as a reserve driver before transitioning to Alpine’s WEC team, where he competed in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. His impressive performances earned him another opportunity in 2024 with the French team.
Schumacher’s time in the WEC
Schumacher has competed in seven WEC races in 2024, starting with the Qatar 1812 KM event in March, where he finished P11. His fortunes didn’t improve much until the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, three races later.
It saw him break into the top 10 by finishing tenth before heading to Le Mans and one-upping his performance in Brazil. Most recently, the 25-year-old raced in the 6 Hours of Fuji, where he took his first podium of the season by finishing P3.
Mick Schumacher is trying his best to get into F1 for 2025 through Sauber via the Audi takeover coming in 2026.
Alpine on the other hand is very interested in retaining him for the World Endurance Championship.
Where will Mick go? pic.twitter.com/QL5R9NMSJv
— PeaCup: The Token of Champions! (@PeaCup2024) September 29, 2024
While the German appears to have found his rhythm in WEC, his focus remains on a return to F1. However, his prospects look uncertain, as Mercedes has confirmed he won’t be driving for them in 2025. Still, a glimmer of hope remains with an open seat at Audi.
