Jack Doohan’s future is up in the air at Alpine (Image: Getty)
has brushed off concerns about his F1 future heading into his rookie season, labelling his start to pre-season as ‘great’ and praising for welcoming him to Enstone with ‘big open arms’.
The young Australian has been the subject of constant speculation during the off-season. Doohan made his F1 debut at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi but struggled to match the pace of team-mate .
Such struggles are to be expected of F1 rookies, and Doohan’s disappointing weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit can be at least partially caveated by some miserable luck in qualifying, which left him at the back of the grid. However, given the immediate speculation about his future, the 21-year-old will be anxious for his home race to arrive.
Reports emerged in December explaining that Doohan’s contract can be terminated just six races into the 2025 campaign should he fail to meet performance markers. Alpine then added fuel to the fire, announcing the signing of Franco Colapinto on a long-term contract, initially as a reserve driver.
Despite the speculation, Doohan is not concerned about his future with Alpine. “It’s been great,” he told . “The team have had big open arms for me for a long time now. They’ve been so accommodating, very catering for me.
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Oliver Oakes still has faith in Doohan’s ability (Image: Getty)
“And it’s great to be working with Pierre and constantly learning from him with his vast six, seven years of Formula One experience. I look forward to continuing that and creating a great relationship together to ensure that we’re the best package for the team this year.”
Many onlookers saw Colapinto’s arrival as the writing on the wall for Doohan. However, according to team principal Oliver Oakes, the Argentine’s presence at Enstone is intended to be a long-term succession plan rather than a method of pressuring their rookie driver.
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“It’s been a little bit harsh on Jack, some of the stuff that was written by the keyboard warriors there, and he’s getting his fair crack at it next year,” Oakes told the James Allen On F1 podcast. “And I think the intention there isn’t to put [pressure] on his shoulders.
“It’s genuinely to give the team options further down the line. And for me, F1 is fine margins. There’s a load of people who are depending on a driver to deliver each weekend, and we need to make sure we’ve got the best drivers in the race car, not just now, but also in the future.”