Introducing F1’s rookies: Doohan already fighting for his Alpine future amid Colapinto speculation

A house System 1 race is each blessing and curse for any driver – it doesn’t matter what PR guff they spout about discovering additional efficiency on acquainted circuits. However for Alpine driver Jack Doohan, there may be barely extra entering into Melbourne this weekend.

First up, he’s the ultimate driver in our rookie sequence to technically not fulfil that standards – given his outing in final yr’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the place he discovered he wants to change his grip on an F1 steering wheel to keep away from post-race thumb ache.

On the similar time, this implies there are numerous different issues he’s already taken in. These embody understanding F1’s delayed/aborted begin guidelines within the wake of the penalties dished out to far more skilled racers on the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix.

However Doohan’s compatriot Oscar Piastri has admitted “I am in all probability glad Melbourne wasn’t the opener in my rookie season, as a result of that may have been fairly full on”. And, regardless of his one-race F1 expertise final yr, this weekend goes to be precisely that for brand spanking new Alpine racer.

He was in Brazil because the staff’s reserve driver – a job that had him in any respect 24 races final yr, with Doohan working in Alpine’s sim on each Friday the place a race was lower than a three-hour flight away, permitting him to achieve the paddock and full his stand-by duties (and plenty of media appearances early on) after serving to Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon tweak their set-ups from afar.

However Alpine was not Doohan’s first junior backer – that was Purple Bull between 2017-2021. It was with the power drinks big’s junior staff that Doohan arrived in Europe as an Australian karting champion to compete within the 2018 British System 4 season.

Famously, he’s the son of five-time 500cc world champion Mick Doohan, however breaking his leg on a motorcycle as a baby led the youthful Doohan down the four-wheeled path.

After his F4 marketing campaign (which additionally included outings within the Italian and German varieties), he then reached System 3 after successful races at a regional stage for such equipment in 2020. He was F3 runner-up in 2021 earlier than commencing two seasons in System 2.

These featured solely sporadic intervals of success, however his closing marketing campaign on the high of the F1 feeder sequence ladder – the place he completed third – was undermined by a cracked chassis early within the season.

In addition to appearing as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2024, Doohan was given a hefty Testing of Earlier Vehicles (TPC) programme – having joined the staff’s junior scheme when Piastri was going by means of an identical strategy of F1 preparation earlier than slipping off to hitch McLaren in 2022.

Alpine checked out conserving Doohan race contemporary with a slot in its World Endurance Championship Hypercar staff in 2024, nevertheless it was determined this is able to detract an excessive amount of from his F1 reserve duties.

In the end, it took Alpine to axe Ocon after which miss out on signing Carlos Sainz for Doohan to get his F1 break and the staff then misplaced a race with Mercedes to get the 22-year-old his most well-liked race quantity for the 2025 marketing campaign.

He had wished to run #12, however after Mercedes acquired its paperwork lodged with the FIA for Andrea Kimi Antonelli to make use of that for his personal debut this yr first, Doohan settled on #7 – which he used again in 2019 and picked for its historic hyperlinks to Kimi Raikkonen one among his “idols”.

To even attain that time, Doohan had needed to interact Alpine WEC racer and former Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher in a take a look at shootout at Paul Ricard – at all times denied as being in such phrases by the staff, though Netflix cameras have been invited.

Jack Doohan, Alpine A524

Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs

Doohan was then on condition that shock Abu Dhabi debut as Alpine’s relationship with Ocon imploded, the place he certified final and completed fifteenth.

For all the thrill of Doohan’s begin to life as a full-time F1 driver, the hurdles haven’t stopped coming. And it was Alpine, largely, that put them there.

The staff signed non permanent 2024 Williams driver Franco Colapinto to be one among its 4 reserve drivers and it has been prompt it even paid to safe the Argentine’s providers.

This has unleashed hypothesis that Doohan’s contract has a clause that ensures him only a restricted variety of races in 2025. Alpine staff principal Oliver Oakes didn’t deny this within the current Bahrain pre-season take a look at.

Doohan bit again at questions on this case at F175 Reside in London final month, which happy Alpine’s administration.

Inevitably, the subject got here up once more within the pre-event press convention in Melbourne on Thursday, to which Doohan replied: “Nice query!

“To be sincere, I have not been excited about any of that. As a result of there is no level excited about rumours or commenting on them. I’ve a contract for no less than this yr, if no more.

Jack Doohan, Alpine

Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photographs

“I look ahead to many house grands prix. And the uncertainties, you do not hassle worrying about them anyway. I’ve to carry out every time I am within the automobile, no matter if I’ve one man chasing my seat.

“We even have 4 now. Not simply Franco in all probability needs in my seat, if not Pierre’s as nicely. And I wished their seats whereas I used to be reserve driver the final two years. I’ll get pleasure from each race because it’s my final as a result of I need to get pleasure from every second I am within the automobile.”

However, from the impressively savage shut down of the subject in a room filled with primarily simply the F1 press corps on the O2, Doohan’s reply this time was way more genial.

A broad grin adopted his preliminary reply as laughter echoed across the room in Melbourne.

And that is finally his solely selection. He must get pleasure from what he can amid a clumsy scenario his staff has created and hope it helps him attain his finest efficiency stage quick.

Heaping strain on drivers is simply how staff government advisor Flavio Briatore operates.