Alpine F1 to test Jack Doohan and Mick Schumacher at Le Castellet
In search of a driver to replace Esteban Ocon next season, the French team will be taking two of the contenders for the Normandy driver's seat to the South of France.
As the battle rages on the track between the top four teams of Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes, the transfer market continues to stir behind the scenes, and Alpine has been making headlines in recent days.
Since the Monaco Grand Prix and the days following the race in the Principality, Esteban Ocon and Alpine F1 have announced the end of their collaboration at the end of this season. Furthermore, on the eve of the first laps in Barcelona last weekend, the paddock learned of the official appointment of Flavio Briatore, the illustrious leader of Enstone for many years, as executive advisor to the French team.
In the paddock of the Catalunya circuit, the one that revealed Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso was seen in discussions with Carlos Sainz Sr. Still looking for a seat for 2025, the son of the recent Dakar winner would thus have become a candidate for a seat at Alpine in a few hours, while his contract with Williams F1 was already thought to be signed.
If Sainz indeed claims to return to Enstone next year, where he already drove under the colors of Renault in 2017 and 2018, he will face tough competition, starting with that of Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan, and Mick Schumacher, a regular in the World Endurance Championship with the Arrows and former Haas F1 driver.
The team led by Bruno Famin will thus carry out a test session with these two drivers at the Paul Ricard circuit in a few days. This session will take place precisely next week, between the Austrian and British Grand Prix. Doohan and Schumacher will take turns at the wheel of the Alpine A522 that competed in the F1 championship in 2022, as the regulations prohibit private tests on more recent single-seaters.
The two men have never hidden their desire to become or to return as Formula 1 starters. Even if these tests are not officially organized to compare the times of the drivers who will hit the track, there is no doubt that both the Australian and the German will be eager to impress the French team’s decision-makers.
