F1 News: Alpine Warned Against Signing Mick Schumacher After Shock Esteban Ocon Exit

Former Haas team chief Guenther Steiner has warned Alpine against signing Mick Schumacher.

May 6, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Alpine driver Esteban Ocon (31) of France races out of turn 17 during the third practice for the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Alpine faces a pivotal decision for its 2025 driver lineup after it confirmed that Esteban Ocon will leave the team at the end of the 2024 season. Mick Schumacher, formerly of Haas and now engaged in the World Endurance Championship, emerges as a potential candidate for Alpine. However, former Haas team chief Guenther Steiner advises the French team against signing the German driver.

On the Red Flags podcast, Steiner voiced strong opinions on Alpine's recruitment strategy, stressing the importance of securing top talent, especially for a works team like Alpine. He commented:

“In the moment not, no [I would not consider Schumacher].

“You need to get the best driver you know is out there. I think people which are showing that they’re very good. And as a works team, you need to do the best you can.”

Steiner also commented on the recent clash between Ocon and teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix which saw the former retire from the race with suspension damage. He continued:

“Obviously you think about it, absolutely you think about it, because it’s just something you don’t want. And I always say, team-mates don’t need to be the best friends, they don’t need to go out for dinner, but they need to respect each other. Because in the end, but it’s generally in life, you need to respect other people.

“If you don’t like to drive with this guy in your team, just go somewhere else. If I don’t like to be somewhere, I move on. I’m not trying to fight it at the cost of somebody else, which is the team. So one of them should have said, ‘I cannot be in the team with this other guy’, and somebody else maybe should have seen that. Everybody knows about the history of the two of them and even their parents apparently, they had to keep them apart.

“That’s not what you want when you’re going, ‘Oh, we will be team-mates, yeah it’s all good, we just fought the last 20 years, but now that’s all good’, you know?”

Despite Steiner's comments, Alpine team principal Bruno Famin has confirmed that Schumacher is one of the drivers being considered for a seat with the team in 2025. He recently commented, as quoted by Formu1a.uno:

“I’m very happy with Mick, he’s super fast. But that’s not the main thing in the WEC, you have to drive at a consistently high level and have a good team spirit.

“I’m very impressed with him because he adapted his attitude to the long-distance races from day one. He has a very good relationship with his teammates.

“Everything is open for 2025, everyone talks to everyone. It would be a mistake not to have Mick on the list.”