Formula 1 | Alpine F1 'gives itself options' but Doohan 'will have his chance'

Oliver Oakes assures that Alpine F1 will give Jack Doohan a chance to perform, and that it will not replace him with Franco Colapinto, signed as third driver alongside Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa in the team. The director even has an idea about the reasons for the pressure that would be on Doohan's shoulders.

According to him, it is the comments from Internet users following the signing of Colapinto – who was entitled to a special post on the networks for his first day – which would put pressure on the Australian while according to him, the team is not at all in this perspective.

As is often the case, he assures that these are just rumors or that people are misinterpreting the team's strategy, even if each of these recent decisions has ultimately resulted in a maneuver predicted by the public and journalists.

“It's been a little harsh on Jack, because of some of the stuff written by the keyboard warriors, and he'll get his chance next year.” Oakes said. “I think the intention is not to put pressure on him. It's really to give the team options for the future.”

“And for me, F1 is about close gaps. There are a lot of people who depend on one driver every weekend, and we have to make sure we have the best drivers in the race car , not only today, but also in the future.”

Oakes is convinced that Colapinto will make a very good reserve driver, and he is convinced that despite some tricky races, he will be a very good starter: “I think Franco made a great first impression with Williams. It's clear he probably tried to do a little too much in the end.”

“It's hard to tell how much of it was the situation he was in, which was that he didn't have a confirmed seat and was trying to do too much, and how much of it was a compromise on the parts of the car.”

“But I think the main thing is that he made a strong impression with the speed he showed. For us, it's great to have this list of two young drivers, Paul and Franco, waiting in behind the scenes.”

“Because it's not just about 2025; 2026 and 2027 will come quickly, and it's difficult in F1 to plan what's going to happen and which drivers you're going to have in the car. This allows everyone to being honest about his performance and giving us options.”