Mick Schumacher has revealed that he consulted lifelong friend and four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel before deciding to sign on the dotted line for Alpine. The German driver will be one of six to take part in their brand-new Hypercar project in the World Endurance Championship.
Schumacher was hoping to secure a place on the F1 grid for 2024 after spending a year on the sidelines following his departure from Haas at the end of the 2022 campaign but he was left facing another year out of the limelight after a move to Williams failed to materialise.
Rumours began circling in the F1 paddock after the summer break that Schumacher was eyeing a move to the World Endurance Championship, and in October he took part in a private test with Alpine. The contract was made official and announced ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Discussing the role that Vettel played in his move, Schumacher said: “I’ve briefly spoken with Sebastian about it. It has been a factor that I think he knows so much about motorsport, but it was also a very clear point for me to go and ask him about his opinion.”
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The 24-year-old was then asked about his feelings looking back on a 2023 season spent on the sidelines with Mercedes, to which he responded: “Having to sit out the whole year has been tough.
“And I’m just excited to be back in the car and go race and have a new challenge. I’m a racing driver. I hadn’t been out of racing 14 years previous to this, so it was definitely a clear choice and a clear direction that I wanted to be racing.”
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Despite joining Alpine’s WEC ranks for 2024, Schumacher will be retaining his role as Mercedes’ test and reserve driver as well. In fact, he revealed that staying on with the Silver Arrows was a key factor stopping him from making the switch to other open-wheel series such as Super Formula or IndyCar.
“You always think about what’s out there, what are the options, and you kind of try and make pro and contra list,” Schumacher explained. “For me, WEC was the one with the least contras and the most pros and it was pretty easy for me to decide that that was a championship to go to.”
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