All of this led us to Alpine’s announcement that they would be replacing Australian Formula 1 driver Jack Doohan for the next five race weekends. This move is the latest development in their continued assessment of the driver line-up for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship. The team plans to rotate its drivers to improve competitive performance. This is exactly the right strategy for them to pursue and it fits beautifully with their long-term goals. Doohan’s career has already been marred by a string of highs and lows, including crashes in Melbourne and Japan. The recent series of events has crushed any confidence in his performance.
It’s been a challenging 2023 campaign thus far for Jack Doohan. He’s fought his way through seven very, very difficult race weekends in a row. He crashed out early on during the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Then in practice in Japan he had a significant crash after not being able to disengage his Drag Reduction System (DRS). Although Doohan qualified faster than his teammate Pierre Gasly in Miami, these incidents have led the team to reassess their strategy moving forward.
Team’s Decision to Rotate Drivers
The strategic choice by Alpine to regularly rotate drivers is intended to give the team a thorough analysis of its racing talent. Team principal Flavio Briatore alluded to the need for such a strategy in light of how close this year’s competitive field is.
“With the field being so closely matched this year, and with a competitive car, which the team has drastically improved in the past 12 months, we are in a position where we see the need to rotate our line-up,” – Flavio Briatore.
Filling Doohan’s seat will be Franco Colapinto, who replaces Doohan for the remaining races. The full team will pay close attention to how each driver performs during this transition phase. This will provide them with valuable information to know what to invest in for future line-ups.
Doohan’s Response to the Changes
Following this decision, Jack Doohan shared his thoughts on the developing situation. Specifically, he admitted this would be one of the toughest chapters for him, but stuck with it, continuing to do the work with the team.
“This latest chapter is a tough one for me. I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment,” – Jack Doohan.
He said his engine was still running and still focused on reaching his own destinations and helping Alpine with their journey. Doohan stated, “We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those. For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.”
Future Prospects for Alpine and Doohan
The next five races will be key in determining how Alpine approaches the rest of the season. The team will reassess its options following this initial five-year rotation period. From that, the students will determine how they will most effectively address their competitive goals for next year.
Since the start of the season, speculation about Doohan’s future with the team has been rampant. His spotty offensive displays haven’t helped shut down the conjecture, either. With Doohan leading the way, Alpine has its sights set on being competitive for many years to come, as they work together during this developmental period.
