Time is pressing, the air for Mick Schumacher is getting thinner in Formula 1. The 23-year-old is still without a contract for the upcoming F1 season – and many cockpit seats are no longer available. Does Schumacher go empty-handed? Not if Esteban Ocon has his way. The Frenchman wants to guide Mick to Alpine at all costs.
“I told the team management that I would like to drive with Mick Schumacher,” said Ocon after the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. “We’re friends, I think a lot of him,” said the 25-year-old Frenchman. “But ultimately, of course, that’s the decision of the top floor, and I don’t know what will be decided there.”
He doesn’t know what Schumacher’s contractual situation looks like in detail for the coming year, “but as I understand it, he hasn’t signed anything for 2023. So I said to my people – let’s get Mick.”
Piastri tipped the scales
It is at least questionable whether this will actually happen. Alpine is actually planning for 2023 with Oscar Piastri as the successor to Fernando Alonso, who will switch to Aston Martin. But the “Piastri case” has developed into a legal dispute for the French racing team.
According to Alpine, there is a legally binding contract that binds the 21-year-old to the racing team. At the same time, the Australian apparently signed a working paper at McLaren. Both insist on being right. The case is now before the court, the outcome is open.
Should the Piastri case be decided in favor of McLaren, Alpine will definitely need a new pilot. Recently it was speculated that Pierre Gasly could get the second cockpit next to Ocon. However, Gasly’s employer, AlphaTauri, only confirmed in June that he will fulfill his contract with Red Bull, which runs until 2023.
Does Gasly Schumacher spit in the soup?
According to information from “motorsport.com”, however, the last word has not yet been spoken. Gasly is definitely toying with a change. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t disappointing for us. Especially when you consider that last year was our most successful season so far,” admits Gasly in an interview with RTL/ntv.
A case with many question marks. One thing is certain: the “Piastri case” will probably play a decisive role in Schumacher’s future. Should the young Australian switch to McLaren, Mick would definitely have a big advantage. A prominent advocate at Alpine.