Doohan joins Alpine F1, while Schumacher explores options with Audi, a shift anticipated last Thursday.
According to multiple corroborating sources, it is Jack Doohan, the Australian reserve driver for the Alpine F1 team, who has been chosen to replace Esteban Ocon.
The announcement was reportedly ready to be released to the press by Enstone as early as Thursday, according to some insiders, but was delayed. Perhaps due to Red Bull’s (previously Audi) announcement on the same day that Jonathan Wheatley was leaving?
This development seems to dash the hopes of Mick Schumacher returning to F1 with the French team, despite him being one of the official drivers for the brand in the WEC. However, a door remains open for him at Audi F1, and the German has recently held talks with Mattia Binotto on this matter.
Yet, Schumacher faces several competitors, including Valtteri Bottas, and potentially Liam Lawson (should he not secure a seat within the Red Bull realm for 2025), as well as Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, a junior driver for McLaren in F2 who is said to have established some connections with Binotto.
Would Schumacher be disappointed to remain in WEC if the Audi opportunity does not materialize?
“I do not comment on discussions I may have with any F1 teams. What I can tell you is that I hear many drivers are interested in the WEC, a lot of drivers who haven’t had their chance in Formula 1 or are about to leave F1.”
“The WEC has become a very viable second option alongside F1. I have enjoyed my time here, but for me, there is nothing better than F1, so my constant thoughts are on F1, and that’s really what I want to do.”
“Obviously, when I’m at a WEC race weekend, I am there to work on WEC, and that is obviously my focus, but my ultimate goal is definitely to return to F1.”
“I think there are still fundamentally three or four teams that certainly have available seats and seats not under contract.”
Schumacher has conducted F1 tests for Mercedes, McLaren, and Alpine this year, meaning he remains familiar with the single-seaters.
“Obviously, it’s not always easy to do this, but overall, I’ve had the impression that I’ve managed to handle the transition from one side to the other well.”
“The cars are so different in some ways that it is easier to switch from one to the other, and I am still doing quite a bit of testing in F1.”
“I recently drove the McLaren and also, obviously, the Alpine at Paul Ricard, so I feel like I’ve managed to handle the switch from one series to another very well.”
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Alpine F1 Picks Doohan Schumacher Pivots to Audi Role Alpine F1 Picks Doohan Schumacher Pivots to Audi Role
