Esteban Ocon was one of the drivers who spoke up to defend Jack Doohan after Alpine’s driver swap for Imola. The Australian has been dropped after just a quarter of the season in favour of Franco Colapinto.
Ocon and Doohan were colleagues at Alpine last year, with the Frenchman partnering Pierre Gasly and benefiting from the youngster’s support work.
Flavio Briatore made a shock driver change for the final race with Abu Dhabi as Doohan replaced Ocon early. This allowed the latter to test for his new team Haas.
During Thursday’s press conference, Ocon was asked for his reaction to Alpine’s latest swap. His verdict was damning.
“Unfortunately, not really any surprise from some of the decisions that have been taken recently by the team,” he said. “I don’t have much to say.
“Obviously, sad for Jack. I’m sure he’ll be back in F1 at some point. He showed some really strong moments this year where he qualified super well and he’s also been super quick in the car, which was good to see. On the other hand, Franco also deserves to be in F1.”
Former Alpine drivers Jack Doohan and Esteban Ocon embrace in Imola paddock
Sky Sports cameras captured Doohan smiling in the Imola paddock after Franco Colapinto crashed out of qualifying. Colapinto was okay after the incident, but will start no better than 15th after the Q1 shunt.
The Argentine has been saddled with an accident-prone reputation after racking up a seven-figure damage bill at Williams. Doohan has also been involved in a number of incidents this year.
It’s unclear why exactly the 22-year-old looked pleased. Fans will naturally assume that he feels vindicated after his replacement struggled.
F1 cameras also picked up Ocon embracing Doohan, who has only arrived in the paddock today after carrying out some simulator work at the Enstone HQ. The Haas driver was knocked out in Q1, denied any chance of improving by the late red flag.
Mick Doohan speaks out on Alpine signing Franco Colapinto
Doohan hasn’t carried out any interviews since the announcement, and one can understand why.
In a social media message to his trainer, Doohan said ‘we’ll be back’. Aside from that, he’s largely been quiet.
- READ MORE: F1 fans feel Jack Doohan’s ‘pain’ after seeing his ‘depressing’ social media post during the Imola weekend
But the same can’t be said for his father. Having accompanied his son to the paddock, Mick Doohan spoke to Spanish TV.
Doohan appeared to fire a subtle dig at Alpine, whom he described as a ‘customer team’. Perhaps he’ll privately be relieved that his son is no longer racing for them, with a departure likely at the end of the year.
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