Michael Schumacher’s Old Friend Presents New Challenge to Mick’s Alpine Dreams as Family Braves Blackmail Threats

Will the legendary Schumacher family name make a comeback in Formula 1 soon? Well, no, the 7-time World Champion, Michael Schumacher, still hasn’t recovered from the traumatic brain injury that caused his F1 retirement. But his son, Mick, who raced for Haas before getting ousted in 2022, is reportedly under consideration for Alpine. However, he needs to beat another candidate to secure the seat – and it happens to be Jack, the son of Michael Schumacher’s friend, Mick Doohan.

5-time 500cc motorcycle road-racing champion Mick Doohan has been a long-time friend of Michael Schumacher. Michael had given Mick’s son, Jack, his first-ever racing kart. And the former Ferrari racer had also named his son after Doohan. But this decade-long friendship is now under threat, given that their sons will go up against one another to seize an Alpine seat.

SPORT1 has confirmed that both youngsters will participate in an Alpine test on July 3, right before the British GP. While the French squad has not said it outright, it is evident that they will pick either Doohan or Schumacher. The chosen racer will replace Esteban Ocon, who will leave the Enstone outfit at the end of this season.

Bracing for his potential F1 comeback, Mick Schumacher has been driving for Alpine at the World Endurance Championship. On the other hand, Jack Doohan is an Alpine junior who currently contests at the Formula 2 Championship, where he is third overall. At their test showdown in Le Castellet, they will reportedly drive Alpine’s challenger from 2022, the A522. Now, beating the son of his father’s old friend might help Mick Schumacher take his family’s F1 legacy further. Moreover, it can uplift the Schumacher family’s spirit amidst the tough times they are going through right now.

Michael Schumacher’s family fell prey to $16 million blackmailing attempt

As one of the most famous families in Germany, the Schumacher clan has often been a target of money extortion attempts. On June 19, two perpetrators were detained for threatening to disclose unwarranted information on the Schumachers. As per reports, the duo had gotten into contact with them, asking for $16 million to prevent a leak. However, the Wuppertal public prosecutor released a public statement on June 25, announcing they had caught the father-son duo.

Apparently, the Schumachers had pretended to enter into negotiations with them, thereby aiding the authorities. Currently, the accused are in custody under the Wuppertal police, and shockingly, this wasn’t the family’s first encounter with extortion. In 2016, Michael’s wife Corinna Schumacher received an email in which a person threatened to harm her two children Mick and Gina-Maria if he did not get $9.62 million. However, that perpetrator was arrested and is currently in jail.

Since then, Mick Schumacher has grown up to become an able racer today. In fact, ex-Ferrari Chief Jean Todt has also recently said the 25-year-old deserves to get a seat in F1. Do you think the junior Schumacher can impress Alpine and enter F1 next year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.