Mick Schumacher excited for 'clean slate' in racing return with Alpine at World Endurance Championship
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Updated 01/03/2024 at 09:35 GMT
The 2024 World Endurance Championship (WEC) gets under way in Qatar on March 2, live on Eurosport and discovery+. Mick Schumacher will be driving for Alpine and says he is looking forward to the challenge of starting a "project from the ground up". Schumacher also admitted he is "not sure exactly what’s coming my way" as he starts his first WEC season.
'Great to be part of this family' - Schumacher excited about upcoming WEC season
Mick Schumacher is excited to start a “whole new project” with a "clean slate" at Alpine as they return to the Hypercar class at the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Schumacher will be driving Alpine’s A424 as he returns to full-time racing following time as a Formula 1 reserve driver with Mercedes and McLaren, after an initial stint on the F1 grid with Haas.
He will make his WEC debut in the season-opening race in Qatar on March 2, live on Eurosport and discovery+.
Speaking about his move across formats, Schumacher told Eurosport: “Alpine attracted me because it’s a whole new project, a whole new environment, going into Hypercars and WEC, and starting a clean slate.
“They also have a Formula 1 team which is very attractive but it’s great to be part of this family and start this project from the ground up.
“It’s a great car, it looks amazing. Driving the car is different compared to F1 and open wheel, but it’s very interesting.
“You share it with two other drivers and the goal is the same, you are trying to improve everything you have, and that is what racing is about. You want to try and build a foundation that enables you to win the big prize, which I guess for us is Le Mans.”
Le Mans is the fourth race on the eight-race WEC calendar on June 15-16.
By then Schumacher will be hoping to be more established in the world of WEC, where races are much longer than Formula 1 and the track can be trickier to navigate at times.
“I have always enjoyed adapting to different sorts of cars and different sports,” said Schumacher.
“I found myself in a position where it wasn’t straightforward but I could see myself engaging into trying to understand what I needed to do to get it faster. I have two very experienced and successful team-mates who will guide me along the way and definitely I am excited for that.
“There’s a long way to understanding and predicting where to overtake, how to overtake, and how much you can do in traffic.
“I am a bit excited and on the respectful side, I am not sure exactly what’s coming my way.
“I am sure the race will be quite messy at times and it’s trying to stay calm in that moment to get me through it. Hopefully everything will go all right.”
How can I watch the World Endurance Championship in 2024?
Watch the 2024 WEC season, including 24 Hours of Le Mans, live on Eurosport and via streaming on discovery+ and eurosport.com.
For latest up-to-date schedules, click here.
World Endurance Championship 2024 Calendar
| Round | Event | Venue | Date |
| 1 | Qatar 1812km | Lusail International Circuit | March 2 |
| 2 | 6 Hours of Imola | Autodromo de Enzo e Dino Ferrari | April 21 |
| 3 | 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | May 11 |
| 4 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Circuit de la Sarthe | June 15-16 |
| 5 | 6 Hours of Sao Paulo | Interlagos Circuit | July 14 |
| 6 | Lone Star Le Mans | Circuit of the Americas | September 1 |
| 7 | 6 Hours of Fuji | Fuji International Speedway | September 15 |
| 8 | 8 Hours of Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit | November 2 |
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Stream the 2024 World Endurance Championship on Eurosport and discovery+
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