Credits: IMAGO / ABACAPRESS
Mick Schumacher failed to land an F1 seat for himself in 2024, and because of this, he decided to try his hand at endurance racing with Alpine. Still a Mercedes F1 reserve, Mick is currently preparing for the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans, a prestigious race in which he will be itching to perform better, compared to his father Michael.
When asked about his thoughts and goals for the race, Mick replied (as quoted by The Independent),
“I’m very excited. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for it. It’s going to be very little sleep, and long driving times at night, and the testing has been tough so far. We’re going for the win. That’s the ultimate target“.
To outperform his father’s record in Le Mans, all Mick has to do is finish fourth or higher. Michael took part in the 1991 edition of this iconic event and finished P5. But as Mick stated, he is only targeting first place.
At the same time, Mick has one eye out for a potential opening in F1. His focus lies on Alpine’s Le Mans hopes, but F1 remains his ultimate dream.
In 2022, he lost out on his seat in the pinnacle of motorsports after Haas decided to not renew his contract. Former team principal Guenther Steiner was unimpressed with the German’s consistency and was not a fan of his regular crashes; slamming him on various occasions.
Because of Schumacher’s damage repair bills, Haas found finances to be a difficult aspect to deal with. Haas, a small team, couldn’t afford to maintain their faith in him. But Mick still believes in himself. For him, there’s only one goal – F1.
Mick Schumacher determined to return to F1
When asked about his plans, Schumacher replied that he hopes to showcase his qualities in the World Endurance Championship this year first. He hopes that an existing F1 team will notice and sign him for 2025 and once that happens, he will be “able to prove to everybody that they [Haas] made the wrong decision [by sacking him].”
The silly season in F1 has had quite a few surprises, and the grid could end up being stacked in the coming weeks. Schumacher, however, could join Alpine’s F1 team as the Enstone-based outfit has decided to part ways with Esteban Ocon after the culmination of the 2024 campaign.
Another potential option is Williams. With Logan Sargeant underperforming, the Grove-based outfit may consider signing Schumacher, whose popularity may help them secure several sponsorship deals. If none of these two teams sign the 25-year-old, then he may need to spend at least another year on the sidelines.
