Why Alpine faces the same junior problem as Ferrari
The freshly-rebranded Alpine Academy is bursting with talented youngsters all searching for a route to Formula 1. The only problem is the path is narrow and far from straightforward, as Ferrari found out at the end of last year
When Mick Schumacher lines up on the grid for his Formula 1 debut next month in Bahrain, he will do so after overcoming some fierce competition last year.
Not only did Schumacher race against a really strong Formula 2 grid, capturing the title at the final round in Bahrain, but he also emerged from a gaggle of competitive youngsters within Ferrari to claim a seat with Haas.
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Luke Smith is Autosport’s Formula 1 reporter. Luke has been working in F1 as a journalist since 2013, initially alongside a History degree at University College London. Luke served as the lead F1 writer at American broadcaster NBC Sports from 2013-17 before spending two years as the F1 Editor for Crash.net. Luke joined Autosport for the 2020 season.
Luke is also a contributor to The New York Times for its F1 special reports, and has previously worked with Al Jazeera and CNBC, as well as hosting FIA press conferences. Outside of F1, Luke is a fan of sports and music, with an ever-growing vinyl collection, and has being bitten by the running bug in recent years. He also runs a surprisingly popular blog reviewing the often-terrible media centre coffee from his F1 travels.
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