F1 News & Gossip

F1 team boss issues BRUTAL put down for star driver

Shay Rogers Wednesday 28 February 2024 13:57 Updated: 16:45

F1 team boss issues BRUTAL put down for star driver

Alpine have ruled out testing a young star driver in one of their Formula 1 cars this season as they weigh their options up ahead of 2025.

The French outfit have two drivers out of contract at the end of the season in the form of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

Should either decide to leave, they would be left with a significant role to fill at the heart of their team – one which has been filled by talented drivers for many seasons.

Next year could see one of the biggest field changes between seasons in Formula 1 history and it was all sparked by Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari.

Mick Schumacher is a reserve driver at Mercedes besides his Alpine hypercar commitments

Alpine could be left to find another driver in 2025 if F1's silly season gets out of hand

Alpine await silly season

One man who is gunning to return to the grid is Mick Schumacher, but Alpine team principal Bruno Famin has ruled out any chance of the German testing their Formula 1 cars soon.

“No, we cannot [test Schumacher],” he said. “We don't plan because we have a reserve driver with Jack Doohan, and Mick is the Mercedes reserve driver. The contract we have with Mick is exclusively for endurance.

“We have a lot of options. Mick Schumacher is already an Alpine driver, and for the time being, we're really happy with Esteban and Pierre.

“Nobody knows when the silly season will really start. We had quite a strong input weeks ago [after Hamilton's Ferrari move] but nothing happened after.”

Schumacher last raced in Formula 1 back in 2022, after Haas brutally dropped him and left him without a seat on the grid.

He showed steady improvement during his second and last season to date – his young age could yet make him an attractive proposition to suitors like Alpine in the midfield.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Alpine Esteban Ocon Pierre Gasly

Latest News

Features

2025 F1 grid re-shuffles as star AXED after official announcement

17 minutes ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Red Bull BOMBSHELL emerges as Perez drive confirmed

1 hour ago

Latest F1 News

Horner takes NEW dig at Wolff in Hamilton Ferrari verdict

2 hours ago

F1 Social

Hamilton suffers major F1 DEMOTION in team boss snub

3 hours ago

F1 Social

Verstappen rivals DOMINATE as champion in dismal showing

Today 12:57

F1 Superstars

Red Bull star's SHOCK Hamilton comments re-surface after F1 promotion

Today 11:57

More news

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY