Formula One F1 - Qatar Grand Prix - Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar - October 7, 2023 Mercedes' reserve driver Mick Schumacher ahead of the sprint shootout REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File photo
(Reuters) -Mick Schumacher will race for Alpine in the world endurance championship next season while continuing as Formula One reserve driver for Mercedes.
Alpine announced the 24-year-old German, son of seven-times F1 world champion Michael, on Wednesday as one of six drivers competing for them in two A424 Hypercars.
Schumacher will join French drivers Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin as well as Austrian Ferdinand Habsburg.
Mercedes confirmed separately that the German, who raced for Haas in Formula One in 2021 and 2022, would continue as their reserve.
"A new chapter is beginning for me with Alpine," said Schumacher.
"I've grown up with single-seaters so driving a car with a closed cockpit and covered wheels is a great opportunity to hone my driving skills.
"I sorely missed racing this year. It's what I've loved to do since I was a kid and it was sometimes difficult to watch the other drivers take to the track."
Alpine said the crew line-up for the two cars would be announced on Feb. 7.
The season, whose highlight is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, starts in Qatar in March.
Williams are the only team left in Formula One still with a potential vacancy for 2024.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond)
