Jack Doohan made a brief appearance in the Formula 1 paddock at Imola last weekend. It was his first race back in a reserve role after Alpine promoted Franco Colapinto.
Doohan was working on the simulator at Enstone on Friday and then flew to Emilia Romagna, along with his father Mick. This may have been a contingency measure in case either Colapinto or Pierre Gasly were unable to race.
Colapinto endured a difficult first weekend, having last driven for Williams in Abu Dhabi last December. He crashed heavily in qualifying and received a one-place penalty for a pit-lane rule breach.
Doohan was seen smiling after Colapinto’s crash, though it’s unlikely this was connected. The Argentine went on to finish P16 in the race, continuing the struggles of Alpine’s second driver.
While he remains part of their roster, Doohan is unlikely to race for Alpine again. A departure at the end of the year wouldn’t be a surprise, though his stock in the market may be low.
Christijan Albers aghast at Alpine for restricting Jack Doohan access after Franco Colapinto arrival
It has emerged that Doohan wasn’t allowed in the Alpine motorhome at Imola. This was ‘designed to help Colapinto focus’.
But speaking on De Telegraaf’s Formula 1 podcast, former driver Christijan Albers hit out at the ‘absurd’ rule. He says Alpine are harming their reserve by denying him the chance to ‘learn’.
Colapinto was originally announced as a driver for the next five races, but Flavio Briatore has since played down the possibility of another line-up change. Paul Aron and Kush Maini are also backup options for Alpine.
“What kind of idiocy is this?” Albers said. “I think it’s really absurd. He is still under contract with Alpine.
“Why aren’t you allowed to be there? A boy like that has to learn, a boy like that has to attend the meetings. What kind of idiots are they?”
Do these Mick Doohan comments back up Alpine’s decision?
Briatore says Alpine must be ‘patient’ with Colapinto, comments that won’t be received well by Doohan’s camp. He was given just a quarter of the season, in addition to the final race last year, to prove himself.
It would be understandable if there was a feeling of bitterness. Mick Doohan compared his son’s results to Pierre Gasly on social media, seemingly emphasising that Alpine’s car was the problem.
And at Imola, Doohan Sr fired a subtle dig at Alpine over hiring Colapinto. He described them as a ‘customer team’, which was perhaps a hint that they’d signed the 21-year-old for commercial reasons.
These comments arguably justify Alpine’s preference to keep the two drivers apart. Colapinto sent a warm message to Doohan, but the presence of his predecessor could be an unnecessary distraction, albeit one Alpine have created.
