Doohan camp ‘calm’ aid raging Colapinto rumours

Mar.19 (GMM) Jack Doohan, and his famous father Mick, sound confident the 22-year-old rookie will still be racing an Alpine at the very end of the 2025 season.

Even before the five lights went out in Melbourne and Doohan crashed on the opening lap of his first full season in Formula 1, a cloud was hanging over his future.

Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore has ramped up the pressure to fever pitch, admitting that Doohan’s race seat is not set in stone as the highly rated Franco Colapinto, on lucrative loan from Williams, waits on the reserve bench.

“It’s really hard for him,” former F1 driver Martin Brundle told Britain’s Sky.

“I saw a picture with four drivers – Pierre Gasly, him, Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron. If I were Jack, I’d think ‘This should be a two-driver shoot, not a four-driver shoot’.”

If Doohan was feeling the immense pressure, it may have contributed to his first-lap crash on home soil last Sunday.

He reveals what his father, MotoGP legend Mick Doohan, told him back in the paddock after the crash.

“He came from behind and I think he said ‘That white line, what a bastard’,” Doohan smiled. “I couldn’t possibly have someone better around me who’s been through that – who’s been through tough times and bounced back,” he is quoted as saying by Speed Week.

Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes acknowledges the difficult situation Doohan has been put in so early in his career.

“I think it’s fair to say we’ve caused a lot of the noise,” he said. “You know, by being open, I think that we haven’t put him in the best position.

“But I also think, to flip it the other way, we’ve got a duty as a team to perform. We’ve got 900 people who depend on us to make the right choice for the team,” Oakes added.

Behind the scenes, however, the Doohan camp may actually be quite calm about the situation.

“Talking to Mick, he’s calm behind the scenes,” Brundle, who has known Jack’s famous father for many years, revealed. “Jack has been reassured that he has a contract.

“But you still don’t want this on your mind – I’ve been there, and it’s tough. You’re constantly thinking about your career because it might end at any moment. Then the car starts sliding, and you get nervous because you don’t want to crash. It just adds pressure.”

However, even Jack is pushing back against the narrative that he has only actually been guaranteed the initial five or six races this year.

“There’s no point thinking about rumours or commenting on them,” he said. “But I have a contract for at least this year, if not more. So I look forward to many home grands prix.”

As for the uncertainty, Doohan added: “I don’t bother worrying about them. I think I have to perform each and every time I’m in the car.”

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