So, with Liam Lawson being moved over to Racing Bulls, you might be wondering what this means for Jack Doohan over at Alpine, especially with Franco Colapinto hanging around as a reserve driver. Let’s dive into that.
First off, just because Red Bull decided to shift Lawson, it doesn’t automatically mean Alpine will follow suit with Doohan. It’s not a guaranteed domino effect.
If we take a closer look, it’s fair to say Doohan’s start to the season has been a bit rocky. He’s had a couple of big crashes already. One happened during a wet race in Australia and the other during a practice session in Japan. Both were pretty costly and, unfortunately, down to his own mistakes.
But let’s not jump to conclusions here—he wasn’t the only one slipping up in the slippery conditions in Melbourne. Big names like Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz also had their struggles, and several others found themselves spinning out or making errors.
Now, at Suzuka, there were some pretty significant factors at play when Doohan ended up crashing. He went into Turn One with the DRS still open, which meant the car didn’t have the grip it needed for those intense G-forces. He’d been practicing in the simulator with the DRS assuming it would close automatically—a misunderstanding that caught him out.
Honestly, a gentle nudge from the engineers to remind him might have been helpful, especially given his level of experience. But it sounds like Alpine wasn’t even aware he’d been simulating it like that.
Adding to the complexity, Doohan was feeling the heat to catch up on time. He had missed the first practice session because Ryo Hirakawa, the reserve driver, was taking the wheel in his car.
Now, you might wonder: why didn’t Alpine have Hirakawa drive Pierre Gasly’s car? Apparently, after a tough weekend in China, they wanted to test some new ideas with Gasly’s help due to his experience.
Despite these two big mishaps, Alpine seems to think that Doohan has shown some promise. He’s had a few tough breaks, but there’s potential under the surface.
That said, his seat isn’t entirely secure. Alpine has two reserve drivers—Colapinto and Paul Aron. Aron is actually slated to test drive in Bahrain soon, so there are options on the bench.
Even though Colapinto joined from Williams, the buzz about him bringing in Latin American sponsorship money seems to have cooled somewhat. It might not be as impactful as initially thought.
In the end, everything boils down to what Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive adviser, decides. His call will ultimately shape Doohan’s future with the team.
