Alpine denies putting pressure on Doohan with the arrival of Colapinto

jack doohan aura “a real chance” and will be judged fairly during his first Grands Prix at Alpine. This is what Oliver Oakes, team director, assures today in a clarification aimed at convincing that the pressure has not increased in recent weeks on the shoulders of the Australian driver. Established this season alongside Pierre Gasly, the 22-year-old rookie succeeds Esteban Ocon, whom he replaced at the last Grand Prix of 2024 in Abu Dhabi.

Although the choice of Alpine has been known for six months, the future of the man who was previously a reservist for the French team has long seemed uncertain, and doubts remain, until they were further maintained last month by Flavio Briatore. The executive advisor of Alpine had thus stated in the columns of Le Parisien: “We will start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee it. Afterwards, we will see during the season”.

The questions were inevitably accentuated by the notable recruitment of Franco Colapinto at the beginning of the month. The Argentinian stood out during his freelance work at Williams in recent months and, deprived of the wheel for 2025, joined Enstone with a multi-year contract in his pocket. Despite this situation which blurs the lines, Oliver Oakes insists that Alpine is not planning anything other than the long term.

“We were a little hard on Jack, because of some of the things written by people behind their keyboards, and he will have a real chance next year”promises the Briton to James Allen's microphone in his JA on F1 podcast. “The intention is not to put pressure on him. It's really about giving the team options for the future.”

“In F1 it's all about razor-thin margins. There are a lot of people whose quality of work depends on one driver every weekend, and we need to make sure we have the best drivers in the car, not just today but also in the future.”

It's not just about 2025: the 2026 and 2027 seasons are coming quickly.

The recruitment of Franco Colapinto has brought the number of reserves at Alpine F1 to three for the coming season as he joins Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa. The profile of the 21-year-old driver, however, stands out from the rest with nine Grands Prix and two points entries to his credit.

“Franco made a very good first impression with Williams, but it's clear he probably tried to do a little too much in the end”points out Oliver Oakes, recalling the track excursions that occurred on certain weekends.

“It's difficult to determine how much of it was the situation he was in, without a confirmed seat and looking to impress, and how much of it was a compromise with the parts on the car. It's hard to calculate. But the main thing is that he made a strong impression with the speed he displayed.”

“For us, it's great to have these two young drivers, Paul and Franco, who are waiting in the shadows, because it's not just a question of 2025: the 2026 and 2027 seasons are coming quickly, and that's “It's difficult to plan what will happen in F1 and which drivers will be in the car. For us, it allows everyone to be honest about their performance, and it gives us options.