Schumacher to advise Vettel on Le Mans experience

May 14 (GMM) Ahead of his Le Mans debut next month, Mick Schumacher says he will report directly to his friend and mentor Sebastian Vettel.

Despite a recent extensive test, Porsche left quadruple world champion Vettel out of its hypercar lineup for the fabled 24 hour endurance race this year.

As he pushes to return to the Formula 1 grid, however, 25-year-old Schumacher will be at Le Mans – at the wheel of Alpine’s hypercar.

A dress-rehearsal for Le Mans took place at the fabled Spa-Francorchamps circuit last weekend, where Schumacher’s car failed to score a point over the 6-hour endurance race.

“We achieved our goal of a clean race,” Mick, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, told motorsport-magazin.com. “Unfortunately, the red flag hurt our chances of a better result.

“Nevertheless, we can take a lot of positive points with us to Le Mans, where everything will have to be perfect.”

Schumacher says the Alpine project is a good platform for his F1 return efforts.

“I see it as a different challenge in the sense that I have to get used to something new as a driver,” said the German.

“It’s already important that I can get used to new cars very quickly for my role in Formula 1 as reserve driver for Mercedes, McLaren and Williams.”

As for Vettel, Schumacher hinted that his friend and mentor may be at Le Mans – even if he won’t be racing.

“I always like to see Sebastian, no matter where,” he said.

“I’ve never experienced it (Le Mans) myself, so after the race I will probably tell him whether it’s worth doing or not.”