Alpine remain the only Formula 1 team this season who have yet to score a point during the 2025 campaign.
Pierre Gasly would have picked up a couple of points in China had he not been disqualified alongside both Ferrari drivers.
However, for his teammate Jack Doohan, it’s been a much tougher start to the season.
Alpine have signed four reserve drivers since Doohan made his debut at the end of 2024, and the young Australian hasn’t quite put in the performances necessary to ward off speculation surrounding his future.
The Japanese Grand Prix could have been Doohan’s final race, and his weekend got off to the worst possible start.
Alpine put Ryo Hirakawa in his car for FP1, before the Australian had a huge crash on his fifth lap of FP2, leaving him very unprepared.
A Q1 exit followed, and while Doohan made up more spots in the race than any other driver, it still left him two positions behind Gasly, even after the Frenchman was left stuck in the pits after a very slow stop.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Jacques Villeneuve worried about Jack Doohan’s Formula 1 future
In the build-up to the Japanese Grand Prix on Sky Sports F1 (6/4 5:03 am), Jacques Villeneuve and Naomi Schiff were discussing the Australian.
It was put to Villeneuve that Doohan’s confidence would have already been dented by Alpine signing four reserve drivers over the winter, and after his crash in practice, his preparations for the Japanese Grand Prix were far from ideal.
Simon Lazenby admitted he hoped the ‘writing wasn’t already on the wall for Doohan’, and Villeneuve replied: “It’s not good because he’s already on the tight line and he’s been there before the start of the season.
“There was Melbourne, which was not good at all. He doesn’t have the laps here, which is a tough track. But he knows why he went off.
“It wasn’t because he was driving too fast and lost the car. It was just a bad mistake that he won’t repeat because his brain remembers.”
Schiff added: “It’s like when you’re in school and there’s a behaviour chart on the wall and you get a black sticker for bad behaviour.
“That’s what’s going to go on the wall here, this is not going to be forgotten, it’s a mistake you can’t afford when he’s got so much pressure on him.”
READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad
Jacques Villeneuve tells Jack Doohan how to keep his Alpine F1 seat
Villeneuve was then asked what Doohan needs to do to keep his drive and whether that’s still possible, and he answered: “The problem is [that] during the winter, we had a feeling that it was already decided that he wouldn’t finish the season.
“That’s tough, because he’s heard those rumours as well. Some people in the team were saying, ‘Don’t worry, you’ve got a contract, you’re fine,’ but you always have that at the back of your mind.
Solid job JD 👊 Up FOUR places 😎 pic.twitter.com/cruFLh8tX4
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) April 6, 2025
“And when you’re driving with that in your mind, you’re not free, you make mistakes, you’re not relaxed, that will take away a few tenths here and there.”
Schiff then continued Villeneuve’s point and explained: “Well, we’re not sure how many races he’s been given behind the scenes to prove himself and to get up to speed.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world, especially when you’ve got a driver behind the scenes who’s not only bringing budget, but there’s been a lot of interest around Colapinto, so you can’t afford these moments.”
Alpine face critical Jack Doohan decision but shouldn’t rush into Franco Colapinto swap
Doohan once again showed glimpses of potential in Japan with his performance during Sunday’s race.
He allowed Gasly to pass him during the second half of the race as they were on different strategies, but he managed to overtake both Haas drivers, Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon.
Villeneuve accused Doohan of laziness when it came to his mistake in practice that led to his massive impact with the barriers.
A sizeable crash for Jack Doohan in FP2 😱
He is OK and out of the car#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/uCDCUcGKcy
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 4, 2025
The 22-year-old refused to go into details about what caused the incident, although not closing his DRS flap early enough heading into turn one appeared to be the issue.
Franco Colapinto impressed at points with Williams last year, and had the raw speed to worry Alex Albon at times, however, he also made several mistakes that saw him end up in the barriers.
It doesn’t appear as though Doohan has crossed the threshold yet where replacing him with Colapinto has no downsides, but he needs a strong performance soon to ward off those suggestions.
Leave feedback about this