Schumacher’s F1 reserve duties with Mercedes in 2024 take priority

Mick Schumacher will be back in the World Endurance Championship field for Alpine next year, but his primary role in Formula 1 will remain as Mercedes' reserve driver, should that role become available. "The contract is clear, the agreement with Mick is clear, if he has the opportunity to drive in F1 to replace George [Russell] or Lewis [Hamilton], he will go to F1," stated Bruno Famin, vice-president of Alpine Motorsport, in an interview.

The 2024 Formula One and WEC seasons begin on the same day, and four of the seven WEC rounds that remain collide with Formula One races will take place in Bahrain and Qatar, two nearby nations.  Alpine will thus need to have a backup driver available to operate their A424 hypercar on five weekends in case Schumacher has to be called up to the Formula One team.