F1 drivers rallied behind Jack Doohan and the harsh treatment, while also welcoming Franco Colapinto, who opened up on his return to competitive racing.
The gap between Miami and Imola saw a big change at Alpine, as Doohan was dropped and replaced by Colapinto by Alpine for the next five races at least. The team also saw team principal Oliver Oakes leave his position due to personal reasons, leaving the outfit with big headlines to handle.
The F1 paddock was buzzing with different opinions but largely with a similar message. Most felt it is a harsh move to drop Doohan after a just six races and equally harsh on Colapinto to be given fix races – in both cases it is putting an undue pressure on a rookie which is not required.
Everyone felt Doohan did enough to warrant more time in the car, as they wished Colapinto well too. Teammate Pierre Gasly did not get into the details considering he races for Alpine, but he spoke well about both the drivers, extending as much help he can give to either driver.
Colapinto, meanwhile, opened on his return to F1. He noted about testing at Zandvoort already and how he is approaching the five-race deal with the hope to see-through the season eventually. It is no different how it was last year how he drives, as he adds on the outpouring love from the fans too.
Here’s what the F1 drivers said –
Oliver Bearman: “Honestly, no. I think it’s very difficult in that situation to have that pressure weighing over your head already from race one. I can only imagine it’s a horrible situation and I feel like his treatment was very unfair. Coming from his position, being a rookie myself, it’s very difficult, especially the first quarter of the season. We’ve gone to – I think – four out of six tracks that have been new for us as rookies. We’ve had two sprint events which are even more difficult for us as rookies. And before he even gets to the European season where they’re the tracks he knows, he’s already thrown out of the car. So, yeah, incredibly harsh in my opinion. I made my debut in a Ferrari.
“There’s no way of denying that cars that are higher up the grid are more easy to drive. There’s a bit more robustness in the aero platform of the car and therefore you are less prone to mistakes. And I’m even finding about myself that despite having much more experience, I’m more prone to mistakes than I was last year in one race. I do think it tough for him but not massively comparable. I don’t think they factored much in. It’s a lot of pressure. I think this trend of kicking people out straight away is a little harsh. Especially in a rookie’s position, a guy with not a lot of experience, six races is a pretty tall order. That’s my feeling anyway.”
Fernando Alonso: “I don’t think there is much pressure on rookies, to be honest. There is a lot of preparation: they do Formula 3, they do Formula 2, they know all the circuits, they do simulator, they do TPC programmes, and they get to Formula 1 very well prepared. When I made my debut in 2001, I did my seat fit in Minardi one week before – because he was bankrupt and we were not going to Melbourne [for the Australian season-opener], and then Paul Stoddart bought the team and we flew to Melbourne on Monday morning. So the pressure of these days is a little bit different.”
Isack Hadjar: “Yeah, I didn’t have a gun to my head before starting the season. So that was definitely helpful. And I had good support here since day one. So yeah, it was definitely helping. “I mean, I can understand when you’re Red Bull, you want to fight for the world championship. So this makes sense, maybe in the top team, but otherwise if you want your rookie to have experience, then you need to give him races. Otherwise he can’t race. Even before the season, it smelled a bit bad because I think he entered the season with a lot of pressure expectations. So that’s not really a good environment and it feels quite unfair because six races in, he didn’t have much time to show anything – and it’s not like he had a rocket ship as well…”
Gabriel Bortoleto: “There is no rivalry between Franco and me. There has never been, we raced against each other in the past but to be honest, we actually never fought for a championship. He’s a great driver, he has shown it in Formula 1 in the races that he did. And in Formula 2 and Formula 3 winning races, but we never had this thing of fighting for a championship like for example I had with Hadjar last year – that I call rivalry. I am looking forward, maybe in Formula 1 we can start something nice and enjoyable. I am happy to see him in Formula 1, another South American, obviously it is a shame for Jack as didn’t have much races but it is the sport. It wouldn’t be different than what I had, to be honest.
“It is not that I wasn’t given the maximum and I am sure if you have a contract or whatever that people tell that you only have five races, it gets a bit…you get under pressure and it’s a bit different because you can make more mistakes because you are always trying to prove yourself, trying to do a better job but at the end of the day, the best thing to do is try to extract the maximum from your car. We know that Formula 1 is one that you cannot take a car like he had for example, like put on pole. I think he was actually doing a decent job, he had some incidents but he was doing a good job in qualifying and some races. It is not my case, I am lucky, I have a very good team behind me that doesn’t put this type of pressure, they made very clear what they want to see from me and our future projects that is already happening right now. But what our future goes and they are very clear for me.”
Oscar Piastri: “I mean, it’s a tough situation all round. Obviously it was a short time in F1 for Jack. Franco is coming in with these five races, which is also not an easy circumstance to come back into F1. Yeah, I think it’s a tough situation. For Jack, he can be proud of what he’s achieved. He still became an F1 driver, and no one can take that away from him. It’s a difficult situation, but it’s not really for me to comment on now.”
Esteban Ocon: “Unfortunately, not really any surprise from some of the decisions that have been taken recently by the team. I don’t have much to say. Obviously, sad for Jack. I’m sure he’ll be back in F1 at some point. He showed some really strong moments this year where he qualified super well and he’s also been super quick in the car — which was good to see. On the other hand, Franco also deserves to be in F1. Last year he showed some great things with the Williams car. Unfortunately, there are not enough cars on the grid to fit all the talents that are out there. But yeah, not much more to say. I’m happy where I am.”
Liam Lawson: “I spoke to Jack. Obviously for him, it’s very tough. I think he showed enough to stay in Formula 1, for sure. He showed enough to be in Formula 1. But also, it’s hard — how can you be expected in five races to show everything you have, especially in your rookie season? Unfortunately, it’s very cutthroat. But as Esteban said, I think he did enough — even before F1, he did enough to deserve to be there. And he’s done enough in F1 to deserve to come back. But with 20 seats, it’s very, very tough. Every team makes their own decisions, so there’s not really much more to say.”
Alexander Albon: “I feel sorry for him, I don’t know him that well. Obviously, he’s had not much time to prove himself. I think he deserved a bit more time, for sure. Yeah, it’s a tricky one. I’m not sure what was the wording around the whole situation and what is it, five races? Let’s see. But yeah, not great. I know Franco. Great for him to get an opportunity, of course. It’s one of them ones where it’s a bit, you know, you definitely feel for one. And at the same time, you know that Franco’s going to, I think, do a fairly good job. I think he’s very talented. He’ll take a bit of time to get up to speed, for sure. But at the same time, he didn’t take that much time at Williams. So, yeah, I think he’ll be OK. It is, it is, I think for him, it’s more about ignoring the five-race quota, let’s say. Yeah, I think it’s easy to start making mistakes and overdriving and whatnot.
“You’ve just got to give yourself a bit of time to settle in. So, yes, it’s obviously a short time, but I think he’ll manage it just fine. I know Jack is a hard worker, I’ve seen the work that he was putting in last year in the simulator and doing a good job with the test programme. He’s very committed as an individual, I don’t think he needs any more motivation than he has. More than anything it’s just to dig his heels in, get stuck in and try to prove yourself. It’s always really difficult, I know that position of ‘trying to prove yourself but you’re not driving the car’. I don’t know what programme Alpine have given him in these next five races, but I’m sure he’s already going to be doing as much as he can to help the team to progress. Proving yourself without driving is a very difficult and mentally tough position to be in but I think he has it in him.”
Pierre Gasly: “What I’m going to say is I got on very well with Jack, [he’s] a very nice guy, quick driver. Obviously a rookie in Formula 1, which is tough, especially in a very strong field, this year with a lot of quick guys and it hasn’t been the easiest way into Formula 1 and on my side as a teammate and, also friend, I tried to support as much as I could on and off the track. I don’t really have much more to say. The decision is from the team. We have a lot of drivers as a team and feel the need to assess the performance of Franco, who’s done very well last year and that’s obviously the reason why also he was brought in to have this possibility. But on my side, I like Jack, I like Franco. I think we worked well with Jack and that’s pretty much it.
“My advice will be focus your mind on the things that matter. There’ll be a lot of noise, there’ll be a lot of negative energy surrounding him. But as a driver and as an athlete, you’ve just got to put that aside and just focus on your business. I had the chance to be at the wheel every other weekend [after being dropped by Red Bull] and to show my speed. On his side, the work will be at the simulator and a couple of…whenever he’ll be [in], he’ll have a chance to be behind the wheel. I think it’s mentally not easy, but you’ve just got to keep strong. Proving yourself without driving is a very difficult and mentally tough position to be in. But I think he has it in him.”
What Colapinto said –
Return: “Really excited. You know, everything is new again. We start from zero. It wasn’t the nicest to be… after doing the last nine races of last year and then having to step out. It was not what I wanted, but it was a good time to reflect on what happened and to learn from it. So, happy to be back. Of course, it’s never nice circumstances when it happens like this, when you step in another driver’s seat, but you never really choose the moment you do it in Formula 1. I just take it, try to do my best and try to maximise it for the job. There has been a lot of work in the background. Apart from the last couple of days, also before. I’ve been doing a lot of sim work for the team. Of course, not trackside but still helping the team to try to develop the car during race weekends. It has helped me a bit to learn the car, the tools, the different settings the team is running, because I’m not very used to it.
“It’s quite a big switch from one team to another, so it has been helpful. And then, of course, the prep since it got announced has been very strong. We’ve been doing a lot of things in the sim. So happy. It’s been a really long time since I’ve been in a race weekend. A bit rusty maybe, but I think it’s going to come off very quickly. I drove the day after it was announced, in Zandvoort. So I think it was one day before you guys were there. A lot of fans, it wasn’t really a private test. I think just try to focus on myself. It’s very tricky to have any expectations. I haven’t even driven the car yet, so lots of things to learn. But I think we are doing the right steps and if we go little by little, I think I’m going to arrive to a decent place.”
Five race limitation: “I think as a driver, I’m just trying to go step by step. I don’t really know the car, so a lot of new things coming and I just want to do the basics right and then the results are going to come. I’m not really expecting any kind of result. The performance of the teams is so tight and it changes from track to track. At the end, in FP1 and FP2 we don’t really have a clear view of where we are at. We’re still working a lot with the team. The main goal is to make the car quicker as well. We need to find a lot of performance, and I think that’s going to come with a lot of work from everyone. So that’s the main goal – to try and improve the performance and then of course, after these five races, we’ll see. I don’t really think it’s such a new thing. I’m much more relaxed.
“I’ve had the experience of racing, I’ve had the experience of being in a race weekend with a different team. I still have that feeling — I’ve been racing in December, so it’s not that far away. It doesn’t feel the same as Monza. Monza was massive excitement, everything was new, it was the first time I was going to be part of a Formula 1 grid. Here it feels a bit different. It’s still my dream come true— so the feelings are the same — but now I want to work with the team. It’s not only about the dream of becoming an F1 driver, it’s about working towards the team’s goals. Getting good results, being consistent in the points — that’s what we want to achieve. So yeah, let’s focus on the job and see what we can do. I don’t know. We’ll see once I drive. But you know, I have a great opportunity ahead. I’m happy to be in F1. I don’t even think in terms of five races—I’m just in a happy place and I’m dealing with it very well.
“I think at the moment I just want to get back in the seat and drive. And of course, after you heard Carlos—especially Carlos—saying that he needs like 10 races to get used to a car, I think five is not enough for me. I’ve only driven nine in my life in F1. So yeah, it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five to get up to speed and maximise everything out of the car. But it is what I have and I just want to maximize it, enjoy it and try to do the best for the team.”
Adjusting to Alpine, fans support: “For me it’s great. Look, I love Alpine. I think Renault and Alpine have a massive history, a big legacy in the sport. And yeah, I think it’s a great step in my career as well to be racing for them. It’s tricky—after the World Cup, some sparks are there, but it’s more from the French towards Argentina. We are fine with them, we beat them, so we are OK. Look, I’m really happy here. I’m in a happy place and have a really good relationship with the engineers, with the mechanics. Everyone around the team has been very supportive and I’m really happy to be here. So excited to start the work. Of course, new faces, new names, everything on the set-up, on the settings, everything is new and different. So we need to adjust to it, but I’m sure we’re going to do a good job.
“I think it was even worse last season. You know, the Argentinian fans and I think Latin American fans—they are very passionate, very euphoric and they love supporting their athletes and people that they feel close to them. They’ve always been there and they’ve always been very supportive. But yeah, I think we always try to keep the respect for all the drivers on the grid—that’s the main thing the fans should do and something to improve on. At the end it’s the same. I had to manage this last year. I had a bit of time to read some stuff and now I’m racing and everything is deleted again. So yeah, focus here. Last year everything was new and it was very tricky to take in all the information.
“I think now I’m only six races behind everyone that has been racing already—evolution-wise, tyre-related, I just don’t have the knowledge of those first six races. But I’m much closer than last year. Last year I had zero experience. I hadn’t had any testing. I just had 300k of running in an F1 car before I drove in Monza. It was much trickier. I think I felt more pressure there, just because everything was new. This year, just having that extra experience, having that knowledge of having already raced in Formula 1 is going to help me a bit. So yeah, hopefully it does. Yeah, just can’t wait to jump in the car.”
Here’s Jack Doohan on being immune to such news
Here’s news on Oliver Oakes’ brother
Here’s Flavio Briatore on Oliver Oakes
Here’s news on Franco Colapinto getting limited drive
Here’s news on Oliver Oakes
