On Thursday, Mick Schumacher put an end to speculation about his Formula One future, as his friend Esteban Ocon pushed for the German to join him at Renault-owned Alpine as a replacement for Fernando Alonso.
Schumacher, the seven-time world champion’s son, is out of contract with the Ferrari-powered Haas team at the end of the season and may leave the Ferrari Driver Academy as well (FDA).
When asked about his future at Haas and FDA, the German said at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, “What is being discussed behind the scenes between us is something I’d rather keep between us.”
“Those are contractual issues that I cannot discuss in detail,” he added.
Since Spain’s double world champion Alonso announced a month ago that he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin at the end of the year, the Formula One rumour mill has gone into overdrive.
Alpine named reserve driver Oscar Piastri as his replacement, but the Australian has stated that he will not race for them.
McLaren, which has been linked to Piastri, has announced a split with Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who joined them from Renault, at the end of 2022.
The game of ‘who goes where?’ has shifted week by week, with the most recent rumors linking AlphaTauri’s French driver Pierre Gasly to the Alpine seat in an all-French lineup.
However, Gasly is under contract with his Red Bull-owned team until 2023.
Unless Alpine wins a contract dispute and can persuade Piastri to change his mind, Schumacher and Ricciardo could also be contenders.
Ricciardo has also been linked to Haas, who have close ties with Ferrari and may be interested in putting their reserve Antonio Giovinazzi in the mix.
“The team will make the right decisions,” said Ocon ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, adding that Alpine was aware of his preferences.
“People know that if I had anything to say, my first choice would be Mick, assuming he doesn’t have anything lined up for next year.”
“First and foremost, he’s a good friend of mine. No problem if I can assist you with that. I believe he has demonstrated talent in the junior categories as well, as he has been very fast.
“It’s not always easy to perform in Formula One with a car that’s a little on the back foot.” When I first started in F1, I had that. He’s a great guy who could perform very well if he had a competitive car, and the Alpine is competitive right now.”
Alpine is currently ranked fourth in the ten-team championship.
