Mick Schumacher 'Really Happy' Over 'Impressive' Stint At Le Mans Debut

Mick Schumacher expressed satisfaction with his team's performance and optimistic learning experience despite a premature end due to engine issues in his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Alpine Media

Mick Schumacher, a rising Le Mans star and Mercedes F1 reserve driver, made a significant mark at his debut at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans yesterday, racing for Alpine in the newly introduced Hypercar class. Alpine's anticipation for a strong performance was high, especially with their #36 car showcasing formidable speed early in the event. However, less than six hours into the race, Schumacher's stint was abruptly cut short due to engine issues that led to both of the team's cars retiring prematurely.

Schumacher took the wheel as one of the drivers for Alpine's #36 car, sharing duties with Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere. Their race was promising until suspected engine problems forced a double DNF for the French team, a disappointing conclusion to their Le Mans campaign. Despite the setback, Schumacher's reflection on the race highlights a blend of optimism and practical outlook towards future challenges.

In discussing the race, Schumacher chose to focus on the positives of his experience rather than dwell on the premature ending.

"We were very fast up to that point, which is a very big positive. We had an engine issue, which led us to retiring both cars, unfortunately. But again, I think not to have too much focus on the bad sides, but actually more focus on positives," he said. Schumacher highlighted the team's cohesive effort and preparation, which showed promising signs before the unfortunate halt.

"We've been here for many, many days, driving around this track for quite a while. And we've learned a lot about it, we've prepared it," he added.

Schumacher appreciated how the team dynamically addressed and moved past initial drawbacks.

"I think we grew together as a team, we managed to put stuff behind us, in form of issues that we've encountered. And then we really moved on from them to get to a point where we were fighting for pole, we were fighting for good positioning in the race, up to that point."

Reflecting further on his stint, Schumacher expressed satisfaction and gratitude, especially towards the Alpine group and the Renault team for their support.

"Also would like to just thank the whole Alpine group, and especially the Renault group for, obviously, getting me out here," Schumacher remarked. He also noted the invaluable support from his teammates both on and off the track. "And I really, really appreciate it, especially my teammates have been day in day out whenever we were on track, but also off track really helpful and kind of trying to tell me what to manage."

Looking forward, the Swiss-born German underscored the importance of understanding and resolving the issues encountered at Le Mans to prevent future occurrences.

"I think now, at this point, what is left to do is just to make sure that we as a team understand what happened, so that we can fix it for next time," he stated.