24h Le Mans
By throwing his hat in the endurance racing ring at the wheel of Alpine Endurance Team's #36 Alpine A424, Mick Schumacher can't wait to take on the challenges that await him.
Mick Schumacher (age 24) is gearing up for his first season in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar category with the #36 Alpine A424 also entrusted to Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxivière. The former Formula 1 driver will make his debut in a few weeks at the Qatar 1812 km, first round on the 2024 calendar.
Mick Schumacher: It is no secret that I’ve never driven with closed cars and in such a full grid, and the biggest challenge will probably be managing the traffic. But then I’m looking forward to gaining experience in this area and broadening my horizons. I am excited for the season to start.
This past October, at the Jerez circuit in Spain, Schumacher took the wheel of the Alpine A424 for the very first time. Since that initial promising outing, the German driver has been able to provide Alpine Endurance Team valuable feedback. Schumacher: Having an F1 background, I have insights and knowledge that the other drivers do not have, and I am sure this will be beneficial for the development of the team. And on the other hand, the other drivers have different knowledge, different ways and views and sometimes a lot of experience, so in return I will be able to benefit from that. Already now, I find the discussions we had at testing extremely interesting. I think the team can profit greatly from the exchange of information.
The switch from single-seaters to Hypercar brought certain ramifications Schumacher perhaps did not expect. Schumacher: At first, I admit having a closed cockpit was somewhat claustrophobic to me, but I adapted very quickly. And sure, it is a very heavy car compared to the single-seaters which I grew up with, and you drive it differently. But in some ways it reminds me of the F2 car I drove, and I am sure I am going to enjoy driving the Alpine A424 a lot. It is still a very cool and powerful car.
Teammate Matthieu Vaxivière: I got to know Mick during testing sessions in Portimão and Barcelona. We got along well, his French is excellent and he's an extremely pleasant person to talk with. His experience in F1 is also interesting and significant, so Nicolas and I will try to help him adapt to the world of endurance racing.
