Alpine’s Mick Schumacher displayed exceptional performance in the 6 Hours of Imola, according to his teammate Nico Lapierre. Lapierre praised Schumacher’s strong pace and noted that he was the fastest among the six Alpine drivers. A closer look at the lap times further supports this claim, as Schumacher consistently outperformed his teammates. This impressive performance in only his second race demonstrates Schumacher’s quick adaptation to sportscar racing.
Lapierre also commended Schumacher for his flawless driving in challenging conditions. Despite the difficult track and heavy traffic, Schumacher managed to navigate through without any mistakes. He even excelled in handling the tricky conditions caused by rain, particularly with the slick tires. Lapierre acknowledged that driving with these tires in the rain is extremely challenging, but Schumacher handled it exceptionally well. Overall, Lapierre praised Schumacher’s performance in his second sportscar race.
Schumacher competes in the #36 Alpine A424 alongside Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere. The sister car, #35, is driven by Charles Milesi, Paul Loup Chatin, and Jules Gounon, who made his prototype race car debut at the 6 Hours of Imola. Despite respectable lap times, the #35 car finished 15th, six laps behind the winning #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid. The #36 car, on the other hand, faced damage due to a multi-car incident on the first lap, requiring repairs and resulting in a 17th-place finish, 15 laps behind the leader.
Reflecting on Alpine’s performance at Imola, Lapierre acknowledged that the car did not meet their expectations, especially in terms of handling bumps and riding kerbs. The team’s decision not to test at Imola prior to the race put them at a disadvantage compared to competitors who had tested there. However, Lapierre remains optimistic about the upcoming races, particularly Spa, which he believes will provide a more favorable track without extreme challenges like bumps and kerbs. He sees Spa as a chance for the team to bounce back and perform better, similar to the Le Mans circuit.