WEC driver who’s ‘better than half’ the current grid has ‘attracted attention’ of F1 team

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Eighteen former F1 drivers competed at the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month. Former AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries (Toyota) came closest to victory as he finished runner-up alongside ex-Sauber man Kamui Kobayashi.

Antonio Giovinazzi, who remains part of the Ferrari driver stable, completed the podium. It was a bittersweet result as their sister team took victory.

Ex-Toro Rosso duo Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley (Toyota) were fifth overall, with fellow Red Bull graduates Daniil Kvyat (Lamborghini) and Jean-Eric Vergne (Peugeot) 10th and 11th respectively. 2009 world champion Jenson Button (Team Jota) took ninth.

Button’s former McLaren colleague Stoffel Vandoorne (Peugeot) wasn’t far behind in 12th, racing with 38-year-old Paul di Resta. Romain Grosjean, who’s also competing in IndyCar this year, was one spot further back for Lamborghini. You can view a full breakdown of their results here.

Clearly, the World Endurance Championship is an avenue often explored by drivers no longer competing in F1. It’s exceedingly rare that they will move in the opposite direction, but there could be an exception to that rule this year.

Mick Schumacher catches eye of Alpine at Le Mans

Mick Schumacher and his Alpine team didn’t manage to finish the race. In fact, they retired after just five and a half hours of running due to suspected engine failures.

However, Schumacher nonetheless impressed by setting the fastest times among the team’s six drivers, according to Motorsport Magazin. This has ‘attracted attention’ within the Alpine hierarchy.

The Enstone outfit are hopeful of tying Pierre Gasly down to a new contract, but they need to find a replacement for Esteban Ocon. It was confirmed earlier this month that they had agreed to a mutual parting of ways.

Alpine have now pencilled in a test session for Schumacher, indicating that he’s a serious contender for a 2025 drive. He’ll be going up against reserve driver Jack Doohan, who’s regarded as the favourite.

The test will take place at Paul Ricard prior to the British Grand Prix at the start of next month. Schumacher raced there twice during his time with Haas in 2021 and 2022.

‘Schumacher is better than half the drivers on the current F1 grid’

One thing that could stand Schumacher in good stead is the return of Flavio Briatore. Renault CEO Luca de Meo has brought the 74-year-old back to Enstone in an advisory capacity.

It’s not yet clear how much influence he will exert on the team’s driver search. But if he is a leading voice in the discussion, it will surely benefit Schumacher.

Briatore worked closely with his father Michael at Benetton in the 1990s, helping him win his first two world championships. He still shares a strong relationship with the family.

Indeed, his uncle Ralf Schumacher admits that Briatore’s involvement certainly won’t hurt his chances. If the German is to return to the grid, it seems to be now or never.

Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt believes that the 25-year-old ‘is better than half of the Formula 1 drivers’ on the 2024 grid. Schumacher only scored 12 points for Haas but won both the F3 and F2 titles on his ascent up the ladder.