Oscar Piastri stands by Jack Doohan after Alpine drops him for Franco Colapinto. Oscar Piastri shows support for Jack Doohan after his demotion by Alpine.

Demoted to reserve
The last few days have not been easy for Jack Doohan. The Australian driver, son of a motorsport legend, spent the entire winter under pressure from the threat of being replaced by Franco Colapinto. That replacement has now materialized, with the Argentine driver set to take his seat at Alpine and race the A525 at Imola.

The announcement specified that Franco Colapinto is only confirmed for the next five races, and that Jack Doohan will remain with the team as a reserve driver. However, it’s clear that after this setback, the 22-year-old from Gold Coast has seen his chances of returning as a starting driver in a Grand Prix significantly reduced.

Oscar Piastri’s words
To comfort Jack Doohan, in a show of Australian solidarity, came the support of World Championship leader and compatriot Oscar Piastri, who also knows the Alpine environment well. The current McLaren star stunned the F1 world when, as Alpine’s reserve driver, he publicly refused the team’s announcement naming him as Fernando Alonso’s replacement for 2023, denying it in a tweet.

Speaking with Today Show Australia, Oscar Piastri had kind words for Jack Doohan, whom he has known since their Formula 3 days: “If this is the end of the road for Jack, I think he can be very proud,” said Oscar Piastri on this matter. “It’s not easy coming from Australia – there are many tough decisions to make along the way. If he has raced his last Grand Prix, then he should hold his head high: he was a Formula 1 driver, and nobody can take that away from him. I’m sure he’ll have a successful career, whatever happens.”