Mick Schumacher ‘Really Happy’ Over ‘Impressive’ Stint At

Mick Schumacher, a rising Le Mans star and Mercedes F1 reserve driver, made a significant mark at his debut at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans yesterday, racing for Alpine in the newly introduced Hypercar class. Alpine’s anticipation for a strong performance was high, especially with their #36 car showcasing formidable speed early in the event. However, less than six hours into the race, Schumacher’s stint was abruptly cut short due to engine issues that led to both of the team’s cars retiring prematurely.

Schumacher took the wheel as one of the drivers for Alpine’s #36 car, sharing duties with Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere. Their race was promising until suspected engine problems forced a double DNF for the French team, a disappointing conclusion to their Le Mans campaign. Despite the setback, Schumacher’s reflection on the race highlights a blend of optimism and practical outlook towards future challenges.

In discussing the race, Schumacher chose to focus on the positives of his experience rather than dwell on the premature ending.

“We were very fast up to that point, which is a very big positive. We had an engine issue, which led us to retiring both cars, unfortunately. But again, I think not to have too much focus on the bad sides, but actually more focus on positives,” he said. Schumacher highlighted the team’s cohesive effort and preparation, which showed promising signs before the unfortunate halt.

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“We’ve been here for many, many days, driving around this track for quite a while. And we’ve learned a lot about it, we’ve prepared it,” he added.

Schumacher appreciated how the team dynamically addressed and moved past initial drawbacks.

“I think we grew together as a team, we managed to put stuff behind us, in form of issues that we’ve encountered. And then we really moved on from them to get to a point where we were fighting for pole, we were fighting for good positioning in the race, up to that point.”

Reflecting further on his stint, Schumacher expressed satisfaction and gratitude, especially towards the Alpine group and the Renault team for their support.