Were anyone sceptical of the looming threat to Jack Doohan’s Alpine seat posed by the recruitment of Franco Colapinto, his first media appearance of 2025 in a press conference ahead of the F1 75 launch event in London demonstrates Australian rookie is in an impossible situation.
Colapinto’s eye-catching performances for Williams in 2024 and the significant backing he can bring - and, in the case of Alpine today announcing a partnership with the leading e-commerce platform in Latin American Mercado Libre shortly after Doohan had spoken, is already bringing - make it obvious why he appeals to Alpine.
What’s more, Williams team principal James Vowles said when Colapinto was let go that “we believe this agreement with Alpine represents Franco’s best chance of securing a race seat in 2025 or 2026”. Doohan is a marked man, with many fearing he won’t see out his rookie season.
Doohan is no fool and will realise that he’s under even more intense pressure than the average F1 rookie would be given Colapinto’s presence. He’s also intelligent enough to realise there’s nothing to gain by rocking the boat, over and above the fact his team will have wanted him to deadbat the inevitable questions.
“No,” said Doohan when asked if he feels under pressure and for details of what he’s been told about Colapinto’s role. “I've been told he's reserve driver.
“And regardless, you're one of 20 Formula 1 drivers in the world and I know when I was a go-karter, in Formula Three, Formula Two, I would do anything to be Formula 1 and sacrifice everything. So I don't think necessarily someone inside the team, outside the team - anyone that's performing well, you're always going to have pressure on the shoulders because you're in such a cutthroat sport.
“But whatever pressure there may be, I look forward to enjoying that, embracing it, and just enjoying my Formula 1 season.”
Doohan was wise to reach for the pressure narrative. It’s an eternal truth that there is always a string of hopefuls circling your seat, but inevitably the vultures congregate around the weaker drivers and that’s the position Doohan has been put in.
He took a more attacking approach to the inevitable follow-up question about whether he felt undermined by Colapinto’s presence as reserve driver with a long-term contract, attempting to fend away the premise with an initial response of “is that a question?”.
Following a clarification that restated the question, Doohan again undermined the question in what was a more awkward response.
“I was a 21-year-old driver last year with a long-term contract,” said Doohan. “But no, I don’t. Maybe I should, I don’t know. I don’t really understand that as a question, but definitely not.”
The real answer is of course he’ll feel undermined, but saying that publicly will do him no good. Perhaps that’s why when a third question followed, asking for his personal reaction to the suggestions he might only have five or six races in 2025 to prove himself before Colapinto replaces him, Alpine’s PR representative firmly closed down the questions, saying “I think we’ve covered the Franco topic, so let’s move on - I think we’ve had two [questions], we’ll move from there”.
It was a wise move given the invidious position Doohan finds himself in given there’s only so many times you can fend away questions that so obviously reflect the reality of his predicament.
Doubtless, more questions will follow during testing and when the season starts in Australia. And that’s on top of the exaggerated stories that flared up about the TPC [testing of previous cars] running Alpine has already done this year acting as a shootout.
That’s stretching a point given the TPC running would have happened regardless of whether or not Colapinto was on board, but it underlines the essential truth that Doohan must prove himself every time he gets in the car, in whatever situation, in the first half of this year to contain the Colapinto threat.
All Doohan can do is focus on delivering in the car. Incumbency is a powerful weapon in F1 and it’s down to him to make himself irreplaceable with his performances early in the season. He’s a robust character, as reflected in the determination he showed to prove himself worthy of the seat with his activities as reserve driver, but it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that Colapinto’s arrival and the implications have weakened the foundations he will build what he hopes will be his first full season in F1 on.
It was impossible not to be uncomfortable when asked about his precarious situation, which is in itself conclusive proof of the very real impact of Colapinto's arrival.
