Rumors were circulating that Jack Doohan had already been fired from his position in the Alpine garage before the start of the season. That didn't happen. But the rumor won't let go of the young Australian, who is believed to be done with the sport.
Alpine F1 isn't just considering firing Jack Doohan after just three grands prix. The French team has already made up its mind.
More mistakes and a lot of pressure from the team could cost the Australian his F1 seat very soon.
Jack Doohan's Formula 1 career is hanging by a thread. The Alpine F1 team is reportedly considering an exit for the driver after just 3 races. Doohan has had a difficult start to the season.
This is reported by the English newspaper Metro .
This happens after just three lobs in the season for the French team.
The rumors are fueled by news about Franco Colapinto. Colapinto tested an older Alpine car over the weekend.
According to the newspaper, it is Alpine's way of preparing the young Argentine for a job as a full-time Formula 1 driver. Colapinto is Alpine's test driver and a recognized talent.
Alpine will reportedly give Colapinto the seat for the rest of the season, putting significant pressure on Doohan.
Alpine F1 puts pressure on Doohan
Jack Doohan came up through Alpine's own academy, earning his seat for the 2025 season after being a reserve driver.
The Australian made his debut in Abu Dhabi last year, but the start of the new season has been challenging for the young racer.
Doohan retired on the first lap in Australia. He finished 13th and 15th in China and Japan.
Alpine is the only team without points this year, which increases the pressure on the drivers to deliver results.
Most recently in Japan, things went wrong for the 22-year-old driver. He crashed during the second practice session at the Suzuka circuit.
Experts cast doubt on Doohan's F1 future
The accident happened at around 298 kilometres per hour. Doohan hit the barrier hard after a mistake.
The cause was a fault with the car's DRS system. Doohan did not close the system on the rear wing in time.
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher calls it a fatal mistake. He believes it may have cost Doohan his career at Alpine.
"He makes a lot of mistakes and is not fast enough," Schumacher told Sky Sports Germany.
Schumacher also pointed to another driver, Ryo Hirakawa, during Alpine's first practice in Japan.
Hirakawa was on par with teammate Pierre Gasly. Schumacher believes Doohan seemed overwhelmed by the situation.
"We'll sit down with him and I'm excited to see what happens. He's not guaranteed to be in the next race," Schumacher added.
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve is also critical. He believes Doohan already knows he is leaving the team.
"His race has been desperate. He has to prove that he is at least better than Gasly, so they should keep him," Villeneuve told Sky Sports.
Villeneuve suggests that Doohan was told before the start of the season that he would probably not race the entire season.
"He is put under enormous pressure by Flavio [Briatore, Alpine advisor] primarily, with Colapinto waiting in the wings," Villeneuve explained.
This pressure negatively affects the cross section and can lead to small errors.
Formula 1 is a world of constant pressure and rapid changes in the driver positions. Red Bull is another team known for pressuring its drivers. It has already had to make redundancies. Read more about it here .
