Mick Schumacher will continue his campaign in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine this weekend as rumours of a return to F1 were developing.
The German driver will compete at the Circuit of The Americas alongside Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere in the No. 36 car.
Schumacher and his teammates have endured a difficult season and have failed to be at the same pace as the leading cars, Porsche, Ferrari, and Toyota, in WEC.
The No. 36 car retired at Le Mans after a mechanical failure and only stumbled into the top 10 for the first time last time out at Sao Paulo.
Mick Schumacher was a contender to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams in Formula 1
Schumacher spent two years in Formula 1, rooted to the back of the field with Haas throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Since being dropped from the F1 grid, the 25-year-old has been around the paddock as Mercedes’ and McLaren’s reserve driver.
Logan Sargeant is suffering from a similar slump at Williams, crashing far too frequently. Schumacher was among the many names discussed as a mid-season replacement alongside the team’s junior Franco Colapinto and New Zealander Liam Lawson.
A return to F1 is unlikely, Schumacher has found a home in the Hypercar class in WEC and has opportunities to compete at Le Mans.
The weather is expected to be incredibly hot in Texas, something the Alpine team principal, Philippe Sinault, is wary of.
He said via quotes from motorsport.com: “From Friday onwards, it will be crucial to find the best compromises. The heat will be a real factor if the expected temperatures are as high as in 2016, when the drivers struggled to complete more than one stint.
“It will have a significant impact on the strategy not only from the point of view of the tires and their degradation, which will be crucial even if storms are expected during the weekend, but also of the drivers.
“Among other challenges, we will have to deal with the bumpy surface of the track and achieve the optimal maximum speed without compromising performance in tight sections.”
Alpine have had a lacklustre season in WEC and suffered from unreliability
Alpine have spent the season so far on the fringes of the top five and haven’t scored a podium with the rounds to go.
Both Alpines failed to finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a difficult weekend for the French team at their home event.
They have been outclassed by more experienced teams, including Toyota and Ferrari, and they have a lot of work to do to improve into a winning outfit.
COTA may be slightly more unpredictable than some other circuits, as it will be the first time WEC have raced at the track since February 2020.