Jack Doohan’s full-time Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix didn’t quite go to plan as he crashed out of his home race on lap one.
He’s under pressure to perform if he wants to retain his Alpine seat, with reserve driver Franco Colapinto breathing down his neck.
Doohan was hindered by yellow flags during qualifying which put him further down the pack than he deserved to be in Melbourne.
The knock-on effect of that then saw him spear into the barriers before completing half a lap during the Australian Grand Prix.
Jolyon Palmer thinks Alpine have put Doohan under ridiculous pressure by signing four reserve drivers to their team for 2025.
The stopwatch is ticking and Doohan may have three races to save his career before his team looks to move someone new into his seat.
READ MORE: Flavio Briatore issues worrying Jack Doohan message ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, ‘the stopwatch decides…’
Jack Doohan had impressive ‘underlying’ speed at the Australian Grand Prix
Although Sunday was an underwhelming experience, both Friday and Saturday’s data suggest there is plenty of promise for Doohan, according to Scott Mitchell-Malm.
“The last thing Jack Doohan needed given the looming presence of Alpine reserve and threat to his seat Franco Colapinto, was to crash on the first lap of the race.,” he said.
“But setting that rookie error aside, the 22-year-old put a lot of credit in the bank with his eye-catching pace in practice and qualifying. It wasn’t immediately obvious on the timesheets, but Doohan’s underlying speed was much the same as Pierre Gasly’s.
“The three-quarters of a second deficit to his teammate was down to his final run being ruined by yellow flags, as prior to their intervention on his Q2 lap, he was within hundredths of Gasly’s time.”
The upcoming Chinese Grand Prix is a chance for redemption, with no changeable conditions and a more reliable baseline when it comes to assessing the grid’s pace.
If his seat truly is under threat, then it could be a crucial weekend for his future. A result may be required sooner rather than later.
READ MORE: Alpine have now implemented one Jack Doohan policy for the Australian Grand Prix amid Franco Colapinto rumours
How fast can Alpine expect to be during the 2025 F1 season?
Alpine have started the 2025 campaign in far better shape than they started last year. With the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner they won’t be looking to invest too much in this season.
They may have failed to secure points on Sunday, but Pierre Gasly did manage ninth, just seven thousandths behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton during qualifying.
In comparison to 2024, where both cars qualified below 15th and failed to finish inside the top 12 during the Grand Prix, things look a lot better.
It appears that they will be contenders for points at most events unless they completely abandon their development path early on.
Swapping driver may not do them any favours either, and could destabilise their operation if they consider that path too.
Leave feedback about this