After the end in Formula 1: “Gift” Mick Schumacher has new priorities

Mick Schumacher combines a very special rivalry with his alpine teammate Ferdinand Habsburg. “We are about: Who is the prettier? Who has the better haircut?”, Habsburg, Austrian racing driver, joked with blue blood, on a media round of test drives in Monza and grinned.

Schumacher, son of Formula 1 record world champion Michael Schumacher, is completely committed to the long-distance program of the French manufacturer Alpine. At the end of last year, the 25-year-old decided to end his job in Formula 1 as a Mercedes replacement man after two years. He wanted to “fully devote himself to the sporting aspect of racing” again and not just watch.

“Formula 1 was always my dream”

Previously, Mick Schumacher had been a regular driver for the Formula 1 team Haas for two years, but then had not received a fixed cockpit. 43 Grand Prix starts, twelve points, once sixth: numbers of a short Formula 1 career.

“Formula 1 was always my dream and will always be my dream. The WEC (World Endurance Championship) is the number one priority,” emphasized Mick Schumacher. “That requires 100 percent dedication.”

Habsburg raves about Schumacher

Mick Schumacher wants to leave Formula 1 behind and now denies his second season for Alpine, where Habsburg continues to start in the sister team. “It is a gift to have him with you,” enthused the Austrian from the German. “He has accumulated so much knowledge, he comes up with ideas that I would not come up with. We have a super good relationship.”

Schumacher is happy to give back praise. Habsburg is a “very funny character,” said the former Formula 1 driver. The chemistry is right. The long-distance World Cup, which starts in Qatar at the end of February and has the 24-hour classic in Le Mans in mid-June, is not a fun event. The performance counts.

Praise from the Alpine team boss

Last season, Schumacher even finished third at the 6-hour race in Fuji with his then teammates Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu. “I take a lot from last year,” he said. “But the podium is not the goal at first. We want to further develop the program.” After all, the WEC is also a marathon and no sprint.

Alpine team boss Philippe Sinault appreciates Schumacher’s meticulousness. “We are very happy with him. He is open -minded and shares his knowledge,” said the Frenchman. “He helps us to step on the gas and get to a new level.”

Schumacher and the LE MANS experience

The learning curve had distinguished Mick Schumacher earlier. So he became a master in Formula 3 and Formula 2 and also made progress in Formula 1. The experience of the mega event Le Mans 2024, when he left his hypercar after a motor defect, should continue to take him a big step this year. “I underestimated it a bit beforehand,” said Schumacher about the state of emergency at the 24-hour classic, which so much consumed in strength and concentration.

Formula 1 is now far away, the WEC counts. “My dream is a dream, but when I sit in the car, I sit 100 percent in the car,” Schumacher described his focus on the tasks at Alpine, which are so far from Formula 1. “The dream continues to live in the moments when I have free time and can think about it.”