Oliver Oakes warns that the Abu Dhabi race alone may not be enough to judge Jack Doohan. The Alpine F1 director recalls that other drivers have had very good performances, such as Oliver Bearman in Jeddah, but that the pressure can sometimes make certain drivers rush, like Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Monza.
“I think it's never easy to judge someone who finds themselves in an F1 car in a race like that” Oakes said. “I think the problem is that there is the benchmark that Bearman set, which was phenomenal. And I say that kindly, because he is extremely talented, but you have Kimi with the same pressure at Monza.
“I think at the end of the day Jack has to take things as they come. I think he's professional enough to handle that. I also think once you get comfortable with the weekend -end, with the first and second practice sessions, you can get used to it.”
The Briton is pleased to have prepared Doohan well for this occasion, and he recalls that the Alpine academy is very efficient, even if it has a bad image because of the management of the Oscar Piastri file two years ago.
“I think the program was, dare I say, well planned for him. I think even though the team doesn't get a lot of credit because of the Piastri situation, they are obviously very good at preparing for the young pilots.”
“And I think Jack has followed the same path. I think Jack has followed the same path. He's been with me in the garage quite a bit. He listens to the intercom with me and Flav, and gives us his opinion as well. So I'm sure he's ready for it.”
Pierre Gasly praised his relationship with Esteban Ocon and the work they both accomplished at Alpine: “I think over the last two years we have worked very well with Esteban. Our approach has been very professional.
“We both have the same ambition, and from there we knew we had to push the team in the same direction. I think we had similar reactions most of the time. I don't think that this year has been the easiest for the team compared to its beginnings.”
“Still, I think the evolution that happened throughout the year is obviously due to the team as a whole, but also the way we were able to push it together.”
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