The Bahrain Grand Prix is just around the corner, but the team that is certainly not going through the calmest and most serene moment is Alpine. The only team still without points in the Constructors’ Championship, rumors about the possible end of Jack Doohan’s stint are becoming increasingly persistent, especially after the heavy crash the Australian suffered in FP2 at Suzuka and his difficulty exiting the cockpit after the race.
Despite the many rumors pointing to the end of his adventure with Alpine, further fueled by the recent tests by Franco Colapinto in Monza, Doohan will take part in the Sakhir weekend (unless the Argentine is immediately brought to Bahrain, as stated by Ralf Schumacher), where, along with the other rookies of this championship, he already had the chance to test the car during the pre-season tests in February:
“The week in Japan was tough, but not without positive aspects,” Jack Doohan explained. “We managed to climb a few positions during the race, and the car’s pace seemed better compared to the first two GPs, which is a good sign ahead of Bahrain. I want to thank the team once again for working tirelessly throughout the weekend. I’m grateful for everyone’s hard work and commitment. We’re using the days between races to recharge for this weekend and aim to arrive fresh. Bahrain is a track I know well from my younger days, having raced there in recent years in Formula 2. We also had three good days of testing in February, which we want to use to bring our knowledge into this race. The goal will be to prepare for qualifying and hope to be in a good position to capitalize and fight for points on Sunday, when it will matter most.”
While Jack Doohan’s future remains surrounded by multiple question marks, Pierre Gasly will try to break Alpine’s streak of four consecutive races without scoring points, in order to avoid repeating a start similar to last season, when the French team failed to enter the top ten in the first five GPs: “Looking back at Suzuka, it was a challenging weekend for the team,” he added. “During the race, the car felt good and we had a decent balance, but like most competitors, we were stuck behind the car in front. We’re lacking in some areas and we know where we can improve the overall package. It seems that qualifying is even more important right now, and just two tenths of a second separate several cars, so it’s really important to maximize every detail. We leave Japan knowing what we need to do to find a bit more pace ahead of the rest of this triple-header. I’m looking forward to returning to Bahrain this weekend, where we had good results during pre-season testing. Bahrain is a track with intense tyre wear, but we know what to expect after the three test days in February, even with this year’s unique and cold conditions. This time, we expect a warmer and more normal weekend and we hope to improve on our pre-season pace and achieve a top-ten result.”
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