Jack Doohan set to remain with Alpine until summer as Flavio Briatore’s pressure eases. Jack Doohan’s F1 seat at Alpine appears safe until summer.

A difficult start
Jack Doohan was under close scrutiny at the start of this F1 season. The Australian’s seat at Alpine – inherited from Esteban Ocon after the latter’s departure before the final GP of last season – seemed uncertain from the outset. The son of a racing legend appeared to have been appointed as a temporary stopgap, and Flavio Briatore’s move to sign Franco Colapinto – luring him away from Williams with a multimillion-euro deal – added further pressure on Jack Doohan’s shoulders.

The rookie’s tough start to the season, with crashes in Australia – after less than one lap – and in FP2 at Suzuka – due to a mismanaged DRS – seemed to spell the end for the 2003-born driver’s F1 future. Those counting down to a driver switch with Franco Colapinto, however, may need to wait. Within Alpine, Flavio Briatore’s hardline stance – wanting to give Jack Doohan only a handful of races before replacing him – now appears to be in the minority.

Vote of confidence
According to Sky Sports F1 journalist Ted Kravitz, Jack Doohan had until at least the Miami GP – round six of the season – to prove he was better than Franco Colapinto, and he seems to have done so. British outlet The Race reported that his seat is now safe at least until summer. Jack Doohan has reportedly convinced the team’s engineers that he has considerable potential. In China, for example, he beat Pierre Gasly in the Sprint qualifying and was only a tenth behind him in the main qualifying session.

Similarly, in the most recent round in Bahrain, the Australian missed out on Q3 by just a few thousandths. His prior experience as reserve driver and simulator pilot is also being appreciated by the Enstone engineers. For this reason, Flavio Briatore’s plan has reportedly been shelved, and the team has chosen to provide the 22-year-old from Gold Coast with a calmer environment, at least until the summer. Clearly, if by the summer break he’s still at zero points or too far off Pierre Gasly’s results, then a swap with Franco Colapinto would be on the table.