Fernando Alonso believes F1 rookies of today do not face the same initial pressures as what he faced over 20 years ago.

With Alpine deciding to drop Jack Doohan from its race driver line-up after just six races, Fernando Alonso had a different perspective on the fairness of this decision compared to several of his gridmates.

Fernando Alonso: The pressure of today is very different

Doohan made his F1 debut with Alpine at last season’s finale in Abu Dhabi, and started the season with the Enstone-based squad before a decision was reached to drop him back into the reserve driver pool as Argentinean driver Franco Colapinto was promoted.

F1 teams have shown less willingness to give rookie drivers time to find their feet in recent years, with the likes of immediate performers such as Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and Kimi Antonelli perhaps sending a message to the teams that patience is no longer as necessary as in the past.

With Red Bull opting to drop Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls after just two races this season, Alpine’s decision with Doohan further underlined this unwillingness to wait for performance, but two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso believes the likes of Doohan are given ample opportunity to hit the ground running and succeed.

“I don’t think there is much pressure [on rookie drivers], to be honest,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, on Thursday at Imola.

“There is a lot of preparation – they do Formula 3, they do Formula 2, they know all the circuits, they do simulator, they do TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] programmes, and they get to Formula 1 very well prepared.

“When I made my debut in 2001, I did my seat fit in Minardi one week before – because he was bankrupt and we were not going to Melbourne [for the Australian season-opener], and then Paul Stoddart bought the team and we flew to Melbourne on Monday morning. So the pressure of these days is a little bit different.”

Alonso’s view differed from opinions offered by other drivers in the paddock on Thursday, an opinion which may have been flavoured by the fact his long-time manager has been Flavio Briatore – the executive advisor at Alpine and a key voice in the decision to swap Colapinto and Doohan.

One of Doohan’s fellow rookies, another driver of just seven races experience in F1, is Oliver Bearman at Haas.

“I think it’s very difficult in that situation to have that pressure weighing over your head already from race one,” he said.

“I can only imagine it’s a horrible situation and I feel like his treatment was very unfair.

“Coming from his position, being a rookie myself, it’s very difficult, especially the first quarter of the season.

“We’ve gone to, I think, four out of six tracks that have been new for us as rookies.

“We’ve had two sprint events which are even more difficult for us as rookies. And before he even gets to the European season where they’re the tracks he knows, he’s already thrown out of the car.

“So, yeah, incredibly harsh in my opinion.”

Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar also assessed the situation as being harsh on Doohan, revealing how the support he’s had from Red Bull since his first race disappointment in Australia has allowed him to thrive.

“I didn’t have a gun on my head before starting the season, so it was definitely helping,” Hadjar said.

“I had good support here since day one.”

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