The eve of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola was marked by turmoil at Alpine, first with the resignation of team principal Oliver Oakes, followed by a line-up change, with Franco Colapinto set to step into a Formula 1 car in place of Jack Doohan.
It wasn’t exactly a surprise announcement, as it had been in the air for some time, even before the start of the season, ever since the Argentine joined the Alpine team, initially only as a reserve driver after reaching an agreement with Williams, the team he had previously been under contract with.
In fact, there was already a widespread feeling that Doohan’s stint with Alpine might last only a few races, and the line-up change for Imola did not come as a shock — so much so that sponsors had already prepared promotional content for the announcement.
While it’s true that the Australian didn’t impress and was unfortunately involved in a few too many incidents, such as the one in FP2 at Suzuka, it’s also true that the pressure, present from the very beginning, weighed heavily on his shoulders. Doohan was fully aware that he had few chances to prove his potential.
In some Grands Prix, he showed flashes of talent, and probably could have achieved more without some unlucky episodes, including Safety Car interventions or strategic mistakes by Alpine. However, the multiple incidents and the sense that his fate was already sealed influenced the team’s decision to promote Franco Colapinto.
Beyond the Australian’s performances, several fellow rookies expressed their support for Doohan, highlighting how difficult it is to perform well when subjected to such intense pressure, both from outside and within the team.
There’s no doubt that F1 is a ruthless environment, where drivers now have very little time to impress. But in this case, the environment certainly didn’t help. Isack Hadjar, debuting this year with Racing Bulls, witnessed an even harsher driver swap, with his current teammate Liam Lawson demoted from Red Bull after only two races.
“Even before the season, the situation already smelled a bit,” said Hadjar, referring to the Jack Doohan case. “He started with a lot of pressure and high expectations. It wasn’t an ideal environment and it seems rather unfair, because with only six races he didn’t have much time to show his value, and it’s not like he had a car capable of winning the title. It was quite harsh treatment.”
Like all rookies, Hadjar also experienced debut pressure, but he’s certain it wasn’t comparable to what Jack Doohan went through in his first six races, even though the Frenchman also faced difficult moments: “I didn’t have a gun pointed at my head before the season started! That definitely helps. I had good support from day one. That makes a difference.”
Hadjar wasn’t the only one to criticize Alpine’s approach. Oliver Bearman also emphasized how difficult it is to be thrown into the mix knowing your fate is already decided even before the season begins.
“I think it’s very difficult, in a situation like that, to deal with the pressure already hanging over you from the first race. I can only imagine it’s a horrible situation, and I think the treatment he received was very unfair,” said Bearman.
“Coming from the same position, also being a rookie, it’s really tough — especially in the first quarter of the season. Of the six races so far, we’ve driven on four tracks that were new to us rookies. We’ve had two sprint events, which are even harder for us.”
“And before even reaching the European season, on tracks he actually knew, he was already kicked out of the car. So yes, I think it was incredibly harsh. I think this trend of immediately getting rid of people is a bit excessive. Especially for a rookie, a guy with little experience — six races are really a big challenge.”
Although not a rookie, Alex Albon — who returned to F1 after a year out when Red Bull dropped him at the end of 2020 — also expressed sympathy for Jack Doohan, saying the Australian deserved more time to show what he could do.
“I know Jack is a hard worker, I saw the effort he put in last year in the simulator and in testing. He did a good job. He’s very determined — I don’t think he needs more motivation. The most important thing now is to hang in there, stay in the system, and try to prove his worth. It’s really difficult, I know well what it feels like to be in the position of ‘needing to prove yourself but not having a seat,’” said the Williams driver.
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