Schumacher will prioritise F1 if Mercedes call-up clashes with Alpine WEC duties

In brief

Alpine explain how Schumacher will combine F1 and WEC next year

Mick Schumacher returns to racing next year as part of Alpine’s World Endurance Championship line-up, but he will continue as Mercedes’ reserve driver in Formula 1 and if he is needed there then that will take priority.

Bruno Famin, who is vice-president of Alpine Motorsport, said “the contract is clear, the agreement with Mick is clear, if he has the opportunity to drive in F1 to replace George [Russell] or Lewis [Hamilton], he will go to F1,” in an interview.

The 2024 F1 and WEC seasons start on the same date, and in neighbouring countries in the form of Bahrain and Qatar, then four of WEC’s remaining seven rounds also clash with F1 races. Should Schumacher therefore need to be called up to F1, Alpine will need to have a reserve driver ready to drive their A424 hypercar on five weekends.

“A reserve driver will be known in due time,” added Famin. “We will have one. From among the Alpine Endurance family if we have a problem, we will find easily a reserve driver.”

F1 one of the most popular live events to visit in 2023

StubHub’s annual ‘Year in Experiences’ report, which looks at the popularity of live events across sport, music and beyond, has shown the impact that F1’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in November made with audiences.

Based on “cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and Viagogo international marketplaces for events” covering 88 countries, the Las Vegas GP was found to be the third most in-demand sporting event in the world this year. The Miami Grand Prix was in sixth place, the Canadian Grand Prix was in seventh and the United States Grand Prix was in eighth. Last year two F1 rounds made the top 10 in the ranking.

Bustamante apologises for Stroll gaffe

McLaren-backed F1 Academy racer Bianca Bustamante issued a fulsome apology after accidentally ‘liking’ a social media message which described Lance Stroll as having autism.

“I truly deeply apologise,” Bustamente wrote in a post. “I own up to my mistakes having liked an inappropriate tweet.

“I can’t believe all the people whom I have hurt. I was scrolling and I accidentally liked the tweet, once I discovered that later on, I immediately unliked it. As someone who grew up with my only brother having autism, I completely understand the challenges faced by anyone that is autistic. I would never in a million years support ableism at any level, let alone support an ableist tweet against a fellow driver.

“I take the topic of autism very seriously and very personal[ly]. To Lance Stroll and anyone that this has offended, I sincerely apologise as these types of comments is something I do not support. I hope the racing community understands this is 100% an accident, my sincerest apologies for this big mistake.”

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Verstappen snubbed from hiring Mercedes AMG GT with top speed of 195mph on holiday — as he’s ‘too young’ (The Sun)

'Staff at car rental firm Sixt said that allowing Verstappen — who won his first grand prix aged 18 — to take the AMG GT motor would have breached its insurance policy as he is under 30. The Red Bull racer, who this season won his third consecutive F1 world championship, instead had to make do with a less powerful BMW 5 Series.'

Schumacher's brother makes heartbreaking admission in fresh update (The Mirror)

'Ralf Schumacher says 'life is unfair' in a heartbreaking update on the condition of his brother Michael. It is almost 10 years since the seven-times Formula 1 world champion suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in Meribel in France, with next to no updates on his condition provided by his family. He spent more than three months in a medically induced coma before returning to Switzerland for further treatment.'

Williams starlet highlights James Vowles impact after 'insane' F1 test (Express)

'Williams Racing Driver Academy prospect Franco Colapinto has praised 'extremely professional' team principal James Vowles for his impact on both the team and his career. The 20-year-old completed his first-ever F1 outing driving for the team in the Abu Dhabi post-season test.'

Haas boss Steiner surprised by lack of development in 2023 (Speedcafe)

'Had there been steps forward in the wind tunnel, Steiner insists those changes would have found their way on to the Haas VF-23. However, the fact that there were no gains galvanised the team’s decision to look at alternative solutions. What resulted was a car with less downforce than the one it replaced, but with better balance.'

Formula 1 legend's daughter opens up about homelessness (BBC)

'Christianne Ireland grew up following her father Innes Ireland around race tracks, spending her days with champions like Stirling Moss and Graham Hill. But in 2016 she said she found herself homeless and addicted to alcohol. She credits volunteering at a small allotment with saving her life.'

Peebles moves to MP Motorsport for sophomore year in Spanish F4 (MP Motorsport)

'Australian youngster Griffin Peebles has signed to drive for MP Motorsport in the 2024 Spanish Formula 4 championship. The Shanghai-born driver moves over to the Dutch outfit for his sophomore season in the series, having come 25th in the standings this year. He raced in three other F4 series during 2023 in what was his rookie year in single-seater racing.'

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Social media

Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:

A holiday message from Michael 🤗 pic.twitter.com/I3uHvZO3Eg

— Andretti INDYCAR & INDY NXT (@AndrettiIndy) December 25, 2023

I think that Bernie Ecclestone’s 2023 Christmas card is a subtle dig at the dullest #F1 season ever.

None of the traditional cartoon depictions of what’s been going on in the sport this year… pic.twitter.com/tW9ZBhAy00

— Rob Myers (@RobLMyers) December 25, 2023

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• Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory

Comment of the day

RaceFans’ writers picked their favourite motorsport moments of 2023 last week, and the nomination of NASCAR filling the Le Mans 24 Hours’ iconic ‘Garage 56’ entry for cars that do not conform to the World Endurance Championship’s usual technical regulations resonated with readers.

NASCAR at Le Mans was a celebration of everything cool about motorsport. The dedication of these guys to make this happen, and do well in the process, was great to see. As was their willingness to share their journey online, giving viewers a great look at what it took to bring that car to the track.

It also stood in stark contrast to Toyota’s bean-counter mentality at the same race. They’ve enjoyed many years of unrivalled success, and while they deserve some credit for sticking with the series when others quit, it was very disappointing to see them attempt to divert attention away from their own very messy race week at La Sarthe with a drawn out public moan about minor changes to the Balance of Performance. A BoP scheme that they’ve benefited enormously from, and helped them dominate the entire WEC season.

That Ferrari won was great, but it was even better to see every major manufacturer lead the race on merit, swap fastest laps, and be in contention at different points in the race. It showed that for all the reasonable gripes people might have with BoP as a concept, there’s far more to endurance racing than just the speed of the car, and a team that wants to win has to deliver on all those fronts.
MichaelN

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Lazzar!

On this day in motorsport

• 60 years Jim Clark won a race but did not increase his championship score: He’d already taken the maximum possible 54 points, and the title.