WEC News: Mick Schumacher Praises Alpine for 'Worst Car' to Podium Success at Fuji

Alex Harrington | Sep 15, 2024

Oct 21, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Haas F1 Team driver Mick Schumacher (47) arrives for practice for the U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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.

"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.

"So there's a lot of homework we still have to do. We should have to do some digging on our side if there's something that is different," Schumacher said.

The #35 car, driven by Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Jules Gounon, had shown better performance in qualifying but suffered a setback due to a drive-through penalty following Milesi’s collision with a TF Sport Corvette.

"The contact with the Corvette, I couldn't do anything, he was going left-right, left-right and I didn't know where he was going, so I tried to go outside and he moved at the last minute," Milesi explained.

"It was my fault, I hit him, but we need to accept the penalty for sure. It's a bit harsh for what happened but anyway we have to deal with it. It's my fault, I did a mistake and it cost us the podium."

As the Alpine Endurance Team looks ahead to the Bahrain season finale scheduled for November, the key objective is clear: to build on the Fuji success. Schumacher's increasing confidence is a motivational beacon for the team.

"I'm getting more confidence in how to fight in the WEC. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be this hard, but these cars are pretty robust," he shared.

The Fuji race has undeniably set a promising precedent, reminiscent of Schumacher's formative racing days.

"It seems a bit like the good old days of karting. I had a lot of fun out there. It's been a while that I was on the podium," he fondly recalled.