Jack Doohan has said he isn’t letting any of the speculations about him losing his seat get to him, saying he feels “immune to it”.

The Australian’s rookie season has seen him race under constant speculation that he could lose his seat to Franco Colapinto at any given moment.

Jack Doohan: I’ve known what’s irrelevant and not true

Following the impressive showing of Franco Colapinto after replacing the struggling Logan Sargeant at Williams last season, Doohan has had to cope with relentless speculation, usually from Argentinean sources, that he could lose his seat to Colapinto – speculation that was never firmly closed down by Alpine’s management.

The rumour mill has constantly suggested Doohan has only been reassured of having the first six races of the F1 2025 season to impress Alpine, with Colapinto waiting in the wings after being signed as reserve driver on a long-term deal.

The Miami Grand Prix this weekend is the sixth race of the championship, and Doohan has arrived in Miami with a fresh wave of rumour surrounding his seat as, earlier this week, the CEO of a prominent sponsor of Colapinto ‘let slip’ on a live interview on Argentinean television that Colapinto will return to Formula 1 at Imola – the next race of the season.

But Doohan said he hasn’t felt affected by any of the noise surrounding him since the winter, saying that he was able to grow immune to it before the season started and, as a result, has been able to stay focused on doing the best job he can.

“The worst of it was in January pre-season when there was the most noise, nothing else going on,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com.

“It was the talk of the town but I think there was a new narrative each weekend and, very quickly as well, I knew what was irrelevant, what wasn’t true, and just focused on my job.

“To be honest, on top of everything, and even in the difficult times, I didn’t really ever feel affected by it – I had a good group of people around me, and the team was also very supportive.

“So I never had that or felt that on the back of my mind. For sure, there’s always going to be noise. But I was more just focused on being as fast as I could in the car, rather than thinking about anything external.

“Potentially, since this topic has been around for so long, by the time the season got started, maybe I was already so immune to it!

“If it had started already just a couple of days before Melbourne, it might have hindered me more.”

Asked about how conversations with Flavio Briatore, Renault’s executive advisor, have progressed since the pair joined forces at Alpine in late 2024, Doohan said, “Things were clear in what was happening. He was just wanting me to do well and the best happen and forget about the noise, forget about what’s going on, and just do the best that I possibly can.”

Pointedly, Doohan said, “Things are always out there for a reason. Nothing gets out by mistake, so I think I was just keeping my head down and doing my job and knowing what’s real and what’s not.”

Asked if he feels he’s been targeted by the noise, Doohan said, “I think it’s just circumstantial.

“I don’t think there’s a target towards me, it’s just how it’s played out. I don’t take it like personally, I don’t take anything personally.

“I just think this is our sport. This is how it is for my time right now and, for sure, I’ll benefit from it more than anything, and more than anything else.”

Much of the speculation surrounding Doohan seems to revolve around Briatore’s impression of the Australian’s performances, and Doohan said he is appreciative of the “no BS” approach of the Italian.

“He’s just trying to give us a car that we can perform in, and trying to do everything in his power to make sure that we can get Alpine back to the front and make us as competitive as possible,” he said.

“He’s amazing. Such an icon, someone that I’ve looked up to for a very, very long time. I love the brutal, very to the point where there’s no BS, there’s no mucking around.

“You find out what’s going on very, very quickly. I prefer that much more than Chinese whispers.”

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