Given the demotion to Racing Bulls for Liam Lawson, what are Jack Doohan’s chances looking like at Alpine given that Franco Colapinto is a reserve driver? – Anjum
Well, the first thing to say is just because Red Bull demoted Lawson, that does not necessarily mean Alpine will do the same to Doohan.
On the surface, the Australian has had a traumatic start to the season. In three races so far, he has had two massive, expensive crashes. One when he spun in the wet in Australia, and one in Friday practice in Japan. Both were his errors.
Doohan was not the only driver to crash in the difficult wet conditions in Melbourne. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz also did. And many more drivers spun or made mistakes.
And there were some significant mitigating circumstances in Suzuka.
Doohan’s crash was caused by him entering Turn One with the DRS overtaking aid still open. So the car didn’t have enough downforce to cope with the G-forces on it.
He had been doing the same in the simulator in preparation for the race, thinking the DRS was closing automatically. But with the small lift he had on this particular lap, it did not.
At the same time, given his inexperience, it perhaps would have been a good idea for the engineers to remind him of it.
Alpine, though, had not realised he had been doing this in the simulator.
Another mitigating factor was Doohan was under pressure to make up time because he had missed first practice while reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa was given an outing in his car.
Why did Alpine not put Hirakawa in team-mate Pierre Gasly’s car for first practice given Doohan’s lack of experience at Suzuka? They had a difficult weekend in China and wanted to evaluate some new set-up ideas, for which they felt they needed Gasly’s experience.
Despite the two big accidents, Alpine feel Doohan has, on balance, had a positive start to the season, with some promising pace hidden by some unfortunate circumstances.
But he is certainly not safe yet.
Should they decide to replace him, Alpine have two reserve drivers who could potentially step up – Colapinto and Estonian Paul Aron, who is due to drive the car in first practice at Bahrain this weekend.
Since signing Colapinto from Williams, following his cameo role in the final few races of last season, the theory has been the access to Latin American money the Argentine gives means Doohan is on borrowed time.
But that threat seems to have diminished for now, the funding perhaps more theoretical than real.
Ultimately, though, Doohan’s fate rests on the whim of Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore. He’ll decide what he decides, when he decides it.
