Jack Doohan is back in the Formula 1 paddock for the first time since he lost his Alpine seat to Franco Colapinto. He’s dropped back into a reserve role at Enstone.
Doohan was testing on Alpine’s simulator on Friday evening and arrived on the circuit on Saturday. He now has to carry out set-up work for the driver who replaced him.
The rookie failed to score a point in his seven races, one of which was at the end of last year. He retired from two races with damage and also suffered an enormous crash in Japan practice.
However, teammate Pierre Gasly has only scored seven points this year, reflecting the limitations of Alpine’s car. Some also feel Doohan was set up to fail.
F1 is known as a ruthless business, but Martin Brundle says Doohan deserved at least until the summer break to prove himself. The prospect of being replaced within weeks of his debut may have put the Australian under excessive pressure.
Colapinto crashed out of his first qualifying session at the Emilia Romagna GP, which means he’ll start no better than 15th. Accidents became a theme for the Argentine during his first stint in 2024.
Mick Doohan speaks out on ‘disappointing’ Jack Doohan demotion at Alpine
Mick Doohan, a motorsport legend after his success on two wheels, accompanied his son to the Imola paddock. And he spoke publicly about the driver change for the first time.
Doohan shared Alpine’s results on social media last week and was surprised to see that it created headlines. He was largely measured in his verdict.
But he did seemingly fire a subtle dig at Flavio Briatore when he called Alpine a ‘customer team’. That will technically be true next year when they start running Mercedes engines, but may also refer to Colapinto’s enormous backing, a key factor in his ascension.
“It’s a little bit disappointing the way that things have turned out,” Doohan Sr told DAZN. “I think Jack performed quite well on paper.
“That wasn’t my story, that was somebody else’s story. I just reposted it. I didn’t think it’d create such a [headline].
“Even in qualifyings and free practices and so on, he was quite good. But anyway, this is Formula 1, and it looks like it’s a customer team now [laughs].
“Jack was in the simulator last night, and he’ll leave tonight, head back to Monaco.”
Jack Doohan should hold no grudge against Franco Colapinto after classy Imola interview
Doohan hired security for the Miami GP after receiving threats from Colapinto fans online. Drivers up and down the pit lane have expressed their sympathy for him this weekend.
While he remains part of their roster, Doohan is unlikely to race for Alpine again. And it would naturally be a risk for any other team to take him on.
Doohan has shown no sign of bitterness towards Colapinto, with both drivers conducting themselves admirably. It’s the second time the Argentine has come in mid-season after he succeeded Logan Sargeant at Williams last year.
Colapinto sent a classy message to Doohan on Thursday, calling him ‘a really good guy’. ‘Formula 1 is very tough, and you never get to choose when you get a seat,’ he said.
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