'Schumacher not driving in Alpine F1 test after all'

Mick Schumacher is said to be among the drivers who will soon take part in a private test with Alpine, but the Haas driver's management refutes those rumours. However, four other names are said to be on the list.

Now that it has become clear that Alpine has definitively lost Oscar Piastri, the team is looking hard for a successor to Fernando Alonso. Pierre Gasly is said to be high on the list, but the Frenchman can only leave AlphaTauri if the FIA grants Colton Herta an exception regarding his super licence. Gasly's arrival is therefore far from certain, and so Alpine is letting a number of drivers drive in the 2021 A521.

Nyck de Vries, Jack Doohan and Colton Herta are said to be driving during the test, and recently Antonio Giovinazzi was also added to that list. Mick Schumacher was also associated with the test, but that does not appear to be true. The German's management denied the rumours to Motorsport.com.

Seeing Herta off the necessary mileage may satisfy two teams. Red Bull Racing is only willing to let Gasly go if Herta comes to AlphaTauri, but for that the American driver needs a super licence. By giving him enough mileage in a Formula 1 car, Alpine can thus pave the way for Herta, which in turn would allow Gasly to make the switch from AlphaTauri.