Alpine’s Esteban Ocon has voiced his support for close friend and fellow Alpine driver Mick Schumacher regarding the German’s bid to return to a Formula 1 race seat.
Ocon is managed by Mercedes and shares that connection with Schumacher, who has been the squad’s reserve driver since losing his drive with Haas at the end of 2022.
After a year on the sidelines, Schumacher now finds himself as an Alpine driver in the marque’s FIA World Endurance Programme with the new A424 LMDh prototype machine.
Still, with Lewis Hamilton vacating his Mercedes seat for Ferrari in 2025 and over half of the grid on expiring contracts, Ocon is backing Schumacher to make an F1 return.
“He does deserve a place in Formula 1,” Ocon told select media including Motorsport Week. “Because he’s proved, you know, he’s Formula 3 champion, Formula 2 champion.
“You know, he’s had two years in the back of a midfield car. You need time to prove yourself in Formula 1, learn things, and you know, for sure he deserves a seat in Formula 1.
“He’s one of the most talented drivers out there, and for sure he deserves it.”
With Hamilton’s shock decision to move to Ferrari next season, speculation has been rife regarding who will replace him.
Given their Mercedes ties, both Ocon and Schumacher have been mentioned in the replacement discussions to partner George Russell, who retains a deal through 2025.
With those ties and the wider implications of the majority of the grid being on expiring deals, Schumacher admitted that he “didn’t really think much” about targeting Hamilton’s Mercedes seat but he is keeping an eye on how F1 silly season.
“What is going to happen in the next year or weeks is still to be revealed and also for me,” Schumacher explained. “So I’m just excited to see what happens to see in the future.
“My eye is definitely still pretty much on Formula 1. Because there is now a lot of excitement in the driver market, it could be that one or two doors will open.”
Before an F1 return materialises, Schumacher has an FIA WEC programme with Alpine to take on and he said after testing the A424 in October: “It just really sparked that flame in me to want to go and race here, so I’m happy to be here and I guess the feeling is kind of mutual.”
