Now the big moment has arrived: Mick Schumacher is about to make his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most famous car race in the world. Before the start of the race on Saturday (4:00 p.m., live on free TV on Nitro and Eurosport 1), he had several opportunities to get used to the unknown course with the #36 Alpine A424.
“At the beginning it was a bit of a shock moment,” Schumacher admitted on Thursday in an interview with Motorsport-Magazin.com “You have a long stretch ahead of you and there are a lot of bumps. It was difficult at first to predict the next corners. Some of the corners actually look similar. But luckily we had the prologue (test day on Sunday; ed.), where I was able to drive for an hour or two. That helped me to get straight into the first practice session and feel comfortable.”
Mick Schumacher: Le Mans is more fun with every lap
Since the prologue on Sunday, things have been busy on the 13.626-kilometer-long circuit, where there are no testing opportunities during the year. On Wednesday, the first free practice session (P9 for the #36 Alpine), the pre-qualifying for the Hyperpole (again P9 for the Alpine) and the night practice (P5 for Schumacher and Co.) were on the schedule.
“There was a big change between the end of the prologue and the first free practice session,” explained Schumacher, referring to the track’s evolution. “I had to get used to it again. A lot of things have changed, but the track itself remains the same and it’s more fun with every lap.”
Schumacher: WEC and Formula 1 will be strictly separated
Now, one might assume that speeds of over 340 km/h on the long straights of the Circuit de la Sarthe are no real challenge for a Formula 1-tested driver, but Schumacher resisted a direct comparison. “It’s very different, I separate it. For me, the Formula 1 is one thing and the WEC is another. I tested in Barcelona not long ago. The transition back to the Hypercar was not difficult.”
Schumacher’s first laps on the night of Le Mans on Wednesday (10 p.m. to midnight) were OK – he hadn’t arrived completely unprepared. “It wasn’t so bad,” reported Mick. “We had already done a test in Aragon before (24-hour test; ed.), and it felt more difficult there.” What remains a challenge is managing the traffic in the mixed 62-car starting field with hypercars, LMP2 and GT3 cars: “The traffic is tricky. If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, it can cost you dearly.”
Alpine team boss Sinault: “Mick is a good student”
Since the start of the season, Schumacher has received support in understanding the unfamiliar long-distance sport from his experienced teammates Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere. “Mick’s approach was a great help,” said Alpine-Signatech team boss Philippe Sinault when asked by Motorsport-Magazin.com“He came to endurance racing with an open mind and the necessary humility. Nicolas and Matthieu support him – and Mick is a good student. His level today is quite impressive and he is now fully ready for Le Mans.”
The two Alpines have done well so far in their big home race and made a good impression in practice and qualifying. However, the French with their new LMDh racing car are not among the contenders for victory. Sinault: “The goal is to finish the race. If we don’t make any mistakes and we don’t have any problems with reliability, then we can do well. But it would be wrong to set a podium as our goal.”
Schumacher has not only just noticed the huge hype surrounding the 24 Hours of Le Mans – especially with Alpine in front of a home crowd. The son of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher (who drove in Le Mans himself in 1991) stated: “It’s a strange concept: The other WEC races before Le Mans seemed like a warm-up. Since the beginning of the year, everyone has been talking about Le Mans. I’m excited to see what it will be like to be at the limit for 24 hours.”