Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher is reportedly in talks with Alpine over a switch to their Hypercar programme in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which would see the German compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The report comes from Motorsport Aktuell, who have discovered that the driver is being considered for Alpine’s WEC programme.
The Renault-owned team supposedly considered Schumacher for their vacant F1 seat for 2023, prior to signing Pierre Gasly.
Alpine’s interim team principal Bruno Famin has reportedly spoken to Schumacher’s manager about a test in an Alpine hypercar, something which could take place in a few weeks.
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Switching to the WEC and moving away from single-seater racing could well be Schumacher’s best option for a 2024 race seat.
Schumacher has found himself on the bench this season after being released by Haas, due to the American side having opted not to offer the 24-year-old an extension.
Mercedes were quick to poach the son of Michael Schumacher, who looks set to miss out on a first-team seat for 2024.
His only option for an F1 seat next season is now at Williams, after Zhou Guanyu signed a contract extension at Sauber for next season.
“It’s settled for next year,” Zhou said ahead of the weekend, as reported by Grandpx.news.
“So I’m secured in 2024, and after that, how the team settles into another project (Audi) will be decided after that year to keep the options open.”
Whilst Williams is an option, a move to the Grove-based team does look highly unlikely, with the side set to give rookie Logan Sargeant another year.
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“Alex (Albon) is here for a long time, I can already tell you that,” team principal James Vowles said. “For Logan, he’s on the right track, he just needs to keep pushing the pace race by race.”
Schumacher’s best bet at returning to the grid appears to be in 2026, when Audi join the pinnacle of single-seater racing.
The German manufacturer are believed to be keen on the Mercedes back-up; however, having a reserve role for another two seasons is far from ideal for Schumacher.