Acclaimed Schumacher attains fresh Formula 1 aspirant
A Formula 1 cockpit opens up: Alpine won't renew Esteban Ocon's deal. Could Mick Schumacher step in? The 25-year-old is already part of the team to some extent. The team principal also speaks highly of him.
First, he's out of F1: Esteban Ocon must leave the Alpine team by the end of the season. The contract of the Frenchman ends after the final race of the Grand Prix season in Abu Dhabi on December 8th, the team announced. No decision has been made on a successor for the sole Grand Prix champion yet, and the driver pairing for 2025 will be announced "at the appropriate time," as stated in a statement.
Mick Schumacher, son of multiple world champion Michael Schumacher, may have an opportunity for the cockpit. He's been racing for Alpine this year in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
"I'm very pleased with Mick, he's very fast," said Alpine's Formula 1 team principal, Bruno Famin, about Mick on Sky. "In the WEC, consistency is not the main thing. You need to maintain a high driving level and have good teamwork. I'm extremely impressed by him because he's adapted his attitude from the first day to endurance racing. He gets along well with his teammates. For 2025, anything is possible, everyone is talking to everyone. It would be a mistake not to have Mick on the list."
Schumacher competed in F1 for Haas in 2021 and 2022 but didn't secure a contract for the King's class after that. Along with his WEC involvement, he's also a reserve driver for Mercedes. "My goal is to return to Formula 1," Schumacher recently said on Sky. "We have to see if the dominos fall in a way that I end up in a seat."
Ocon was recently criticized internally after a collision with teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix. The team management had already warned Ocon of potential consequences after the risky move on the narrow city course. Ocon has been with the team for five seasons. In 2021, he celebrated a surprising first and only F1 victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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Mick Schumacher, currently involved with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, could potentially replace Esteban Ocon in Formula 1. Alpine's team principal, Bruno Famin, speaks highly of Schumacher's performance in the WEC and his ability to adapt to endurance racing.
With Esteban Ocon's contract ending at the end of the 2023 Grand Prix season, Formula 1 enthusiasts are eager to see if Mick Schumacher, who has expressed his desire to return to the King's class, will secure a spot in the open Formula 1 cockpit at Alpine.
