Jack Doohan causing Alpine 'headache' over F1 form
04/30/2025 02:00 PM
Johnny Herbert believes Jack Doohan is providing Flavio Briatore with a "little bit of a headache" at Alpine because of how he has performed across the opening five rounds of the F1 season. Heading into the campaign, the rumour mill was rife with speculation the Australian had only a handful of race weekends to prove himself at Team Enstone, or risk being sidelined. Having been brought in as a test and reserve driver from Williams, Franco Colapinto was - and remains - favourite for the nod if Doohan gets jettisoned out. However, the former F1 driver and FIA steward feels the 22-year-old's performances "haven't been bad" so far this term and that the delta to team-mate Pierre Gasly is not as pronounced as anticipated. "It's all down to Jack," Herbert told Motorsport Week . "What the track and what the performance is, and hopefully there aren't going to be as many mistakes coming into play. "It's purely down to his performances. Actually, his performances haven't been bad, to be perfectly honest. He hasn't been blown away by Pierre at all. Qualifying pace is very similar. "So it's probably a little bit of a headache for Flavio [Briatore, Alpine's Executive Advisor], because I think he wanted it probably to be getting blown away, getting completely destroyed mentally, and then he can quickly do that change." The looming threat Nonetheless, Herbert maintains Doohan must find a way to contribute on Sundays. Five rounds into the year, he is yet to finish a grand prix higher than P13. If that does not happen, the Briton fears Alpine will make a switch, particularly given the interest surrounding Colapinto. "Qualifying, that's one thing," the 60-year-old said. "But... the race is something that he's got to harness all the energies, the negative energies that may be there, the positive energies that are there, and do the job in a race situation, and that will be his saviour. "If it doesn't happen, then it will be Colapinto, for sure. Because I think Flavio is very aware that other people probably are interested."
