Mick Schumacher has confirmed he will leave Alpine’s World Endurance Championship programme, paving the way for a long-anticipated move to IndyCar after two years in sportscar racing.
The announcement brings an end to a chapter that had allowed sometime Formula 1 driver Schumacher to rekindle his racing career following a year on the sidelines, but one that never fully satisfied his long-stated desire to return to single-seaters.
Schumacher's announcement
Schumacher revealed his departure via his social channels, confirming that he would not stay on for a third season with Alpine in the WEC.
“I’m very grateful for these past two years with Alpine Endurance Team,” the 26-year-old wrote in a short statement. “I’ve learnt so much on and off track, and I’m thankful to everyone who’s been a part of it. I wish them the very best for the future.”
His message drew an immediate response from the Alpine Endurance Team, which posted: “Thank you, Mick! It’s been a pleasure having you with us and working side by side for the past two years. Wishing you all the best for what’s next!”
In endurance racing, Schumacher demonstrated quickly that his single-seater credentials translated to prototypes. Over two seasons he secured three podium finishes - at Fuji last year, and at Imola and Spa this season - and earned consistent praise for his pace. On paper, he could easily have settled into a long-term endurance career, but that doesn’t mean he ever truly felt at home there.
Why Schumacher is walking away
The reasoning behind Schumacher’s exit is not rooted in any dissatisfaction with Alpine itself. The reality is far more straightforward: endurance racing did not fill the competitive and emotional void left when he departed F1 at the end of 2022, after 43 grands prix with Haas.
And Schumacher essentially admitted as much after testing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Dallara DW12 IndyCar on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in mid-October - a test that increasingly looks like the turning point in his post-F1 career.
“IndyCar comes the closest to what I can still race,” Schumacher said after his test. “I’m still young, so I do want to race as much as I can, and I think the people here really live motorsports. I also like the mentality of the driver being the main part of the team and driving the team forward.”
“I want to enjoy racing, and to do that I want to find where I feel most at home,” he added. “I’m not saying Europe or WEC or any of those other championships aren’t that, but I feel maybe racing [single-seaters] is always what I wanted to do.”
That comment was as revealing as anything Schumacher has said since leaving F1. In endurance racing, he can never be the focal point of the programme. By definition, the car is shared, the compromises are constant, and the identity of the project is collective rather than individual. For some drivers that environment is nourishing. For Schumacher, it clearly was not.
What happens next
Schumacher has offered no details about his future, limiting himself to a farewell to Alpine. He was previously linked to Cadillac, with a F1 reserve role combined with a WEC seat at Team Jota in place of Jenson Button. He ultimately turned that deal down. McLaren also showed interest in him for its Hypercar programme.
But all indications are that he won’t return to the WEC or the Le Mans 24 Hours any time soon. Instead, all indicators point firmly toward IndyCar. Schumacher has been open about that option for weeks.
“I can’t go back to Formula 2 because I won a championship,” he said in October. “IndyCar might be a good option.
“My target for the past couple of years has been to go back to Formula 1, but that option hasn’t opened up this year or the years before. At some point I want to race again in single-seaters, and therefore this option is a good one.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - the team that gave him that pivotal October test - has a seat available and is understood to be waiting for Schumacher’s commitment. The team, co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner and former F1 driver Bobby Rahal (who started two grands prix for Wolf in 1978), appears to be the natural destination.
A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.
