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Mick Schumacher has congratulated the Alpine WEC team for transforming what he described as the “worst car” of the season into a podium contender during the Fuji World Endurance Championship race this weekend. Competing at the iconic Fuji Speedway in Japan, Schumacher, along with teammates Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere, fought through the early struggles to clinch a remarkable third-place finish in the #36 Alpine A424 LMDh, just 42 seconds behind the winning #6 Porsche.
Reflecting on the challenges faced, Schumacher did not mince words about the initial
hurdles.
READ MORE:Mick Schumacher grabs Alpine’s first podium of the season
“It was tough this time. I think we started off actually from, in my opinion, the worst car we’ve ever had this year,” he confessed.
Despite a tough qualifying session that saw the #36 car start 15th out of 18 in the Hypercar class, the young German and his team showcased a strong performance.
Early practice sessions were fraught with difficulties for both the #36 and #35 Alpine cars, with the Alpine team struggling to find their footing.
“We were really fighting [the car] a lot and were not confident at all from our side. [The] #35 seemed to be a bit better on that,” Schumacher admitted.
However, the race displayed a different narrative. Schumacher’s impressive pace propelled the car into the top 10 by the second hour, setting the stage for a remarkable turnaround. The real breakthrough came in the final stint after a late safety car. Schumacher, back in the car for the final push, executed a decisive move to secure third place less than 10 minutes before the checkered flag by overtaking the #12 Jota Porsche 963 driven by Norman Nato.
“It was good, we really, really fought for this one. The team has made great calls in strategy all around the race and we really showed potential,” Schumacher beamed after the race. This performance not only marked his first podium since his title-winning Formula 2 campaign in 2020, but also Alpine’s best-ever finish since returning to the Hypercar category.
