Schumacher in front of the new Alpine: “The closest choice to F1” | FP

Two new features in one afternoon

Very special day for the team Alpinewhich on the same afternoon presented the cars with which it will participate in the two of the highest and most prestigious international championships: on the one hand the A524, with which Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will try to improve the results obtained last year in Formula 1, and on the other the A424, Hypercar which will be present on the starting grid in this season's WEC.

Mick Schumacher's first words

Alpine which will specifically line up two cars: the #35 and #36. The trio of the latter will be made up of two drivers of French nationality such as Matthieu Vaxivierre and Nicolas Lapierre, but above all by a highly anticipated new entry such as Mick Schumacher, reserve driver for Mercedes in Formula 1. He himself expressed the first comments from a driver from the French company at the presentation ceremony of the car, explaining what most pushed him to this step and what the main differences are between the two competitions: “My decision to move from F1 to Alpine was quite clear – he has declared – it was the closest to that of F1but I was also very excited about the project and ambition that lit the flame in me to run. I'm very happy to be here and I think the feeling is mutual; the differences with F1 are great, above all that of crossing the finish line 24 hours later. Furthermore, I am very happy to be able to share the car with two experienced drivers.”

Teamed with Lapierre

Schumacher who he will therefore find as a teammate Nicolas Lapierrealso excited for the upcoming championship: “It is a great pleasure and an honor to lead and develop the A424 – he added – the development phase is now complete, it's now the start of our journey and I can't wait to race in the coming weeks. It will be a learning season, but we can't wait to get on track with this car in Qatar.”

Chatin's pride

The crew of Alpine #35 will finally see the presence of Paul-Loup Chatinrepresenting his teammates Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi: “It is an honor for me to race with Alpine and to carry the blue, white and red flag as much as possible – he concluded – I have 10 years of experience in Endurance and I will use it to be able to bring it to the team's advantage, and vice versa, of course. I am optimistic that with the right confidence and good work we will have the potential to compete with other teams.”