Ralf Schumacher Slams Alpine's Misleading Mick Schumacher Strategy
Aug.28 - Ralf Schumacher suspects Alpine was never serious about considering his nephew Mick for the 2025 season.
Already part of the French brand's world endurance championship lineup, 25-year-old Schumacher was invited to a head-to-head test in July along with fellow 2025 contender Jack Doohan, driving a two-year-old Alpine at Paul Ricard.
Doohan ultimately secured the race seat to replace Haas-bound Esteban Ocon next year, but Schumacher's uncle Ralf says the shootout test was "unfair".
"Mick drove the car in the afternoon and Jack Doohan drove it in the morning," the former F1 race winner told Sky Deutschland. "I was there myself.
"If you drove at 9am, you were two and a half seconds faster because it was 38 degrees and windy later in the day. And if you have that approach to testing, you have to question whether they took it seriously."
Ralf Schumacher had also slammed Alpine team management for allowing Mick to find out about Doohan's 2025 race seat contract via Instagram last week at Zandvoort.
"You could say that the team has completely lost its way at the moment," he said. "Flavio (Briatore) is floating above everything now."
Even Doohan admits the head-to-head shootout with Schumacher had been "strange".
"It was strange. I just kept it business, regardless of who was next to me," the 21-year-old Australian admitted. "At the end of the day, whatever the outcome was of that, I positioned myself to make sure I was first in line to get this seat."
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Of course, Ralf is expected to have a biased view in favour of his nephew! I would argue that the afternoon session was more similar to actual race conditions, as Grand Prix are mostly held in the afternoon. In that context nephew Mick should have been superior, especially with his past experience in F1.
Although I do agree that Alpine were remiss in not directly communicating with nephew Mick to convey their decision.
Life is tough, even for sons of world champions. The fact that Toto has Mick at every race, shows Mick is not ready or ever will be ready for primetime. With price caps and Mick “trying to find his limit’s”, not worth busting budgets because of sentimentally.
I agree life is tough for f1 wannabees/hasbeens or neverwillbees, BUT He is the Merc reserve driver,so i guess hes gotta be at every race incase Laura ladders her tights or loses a finger nail.