It has been a difficult start to the 2025 Formula 1 season for Jack Doohan. It was perhaps expected, but the Alpine driver has yet to score points after three races.
The same goes for his teammate Pierre Gasly, with Alpine being the only team that are pointless heading into this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Doohan has been closer to Gasly in terms of pace than many would have expected at the start of the season. The Aussie was told to match his teammate to keep his seat at the Enstone-based outfit.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
111 |
| 2 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
75 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
61 |
| 4 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
35 |
| 5 |
Williams F1 Team |
19 |
| 6 |
Haas F1 Team |
15 |
| 7 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
10 |
| 8 |
Racing Bulls |
7 |
| 9 |
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber |
6 |
| 10 |
Alpine F1 Team |
0 |
Speculation has grown about the 22-year-old’s future and that he could even be out of the team before the race at Sakhir. While that now does not seem likely, Doohan’s multiple mistakes thus far will not help his case.
He crashed on the opening lap of his home race in Melbourne and added four penalty points to his superlicense over the weekend in Shanghai. Doohan finished 15th at the Japanese Grand Prix after a violent crash in FP2.
The Aussie has been struggling to find performance and stay out of trouble on track. Amidst a poor start and the rumours surrounding his future, team principal Oliver Oakes has found one strength he possesses.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad
Oliver Oakes says Jack Doohan has been strong at ‘blocking out noise’ surrounding his future
Franco Colapinto has been heavily linked with replacing Doohan since the start of the season. The Argentine has a long-term contract with Alpine as a reserve driver and seemingly has Flavio Briatore on his side.
Colapinto’s chances of returning to a full-time seat were heightened after Doohan crashed his A525 after just his fourth lap in FP2 in Japan. While the accident was caused by the 22-year-old not shutting his DRS in time, Alpine made a costly error not running him in FP1, which ultimately gave him limited mileage.
Doohan felt Suzuka would be his last race with Colapinto set to take his seat, but it appears he will compete in Bahrain. Amid all the speculation, Oakes feels the Aussie has done well to block out the noise and focus on the task ahead.
Speaking about his drivers via the official F1 YouTube channel, the Alpine boss said: “Pierre was amazing under pressure last year, particularly in the second half of the season.
“We’re fighting for P6, he’s been a bit of a team leader I think you could say. Jack, just getting to know him.
“What’s his strengths? I guess blocking out noise at the moment given the hot topics.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
What Jack Doohan must do to save his Alpine seat
Ted Kravitz says Doohan has until Miami to save his seat. The 22-year-old simply has to up his game if he is to stay in F1 beyond the sixth race of the season.
The A525 is clearly not as competitive as Alpine would have wanted, given that even Gasly has struggled to score points in it. The Enstone outfit were sixth last season and will be keen to replicate that with the midfield so tight in 2025.
One huge weakness limiting Doohan is his crashes, with the damage no doubt costing his team millions in repairs. Briatore has a ‘good argument’ to drop Doohan as his two write-offs in 2025 go into the budget cap.
Jacques Villeneuve warned Doohan about his crashes as the pressure is clearly getting to him. The Aussie must keep his car out of the walls if he wants to stand any chance of still being on the grid before the European season kicks off.
Leave feedback about this