After a positive showing in the opening four events of the season, Doohan looks set to remain on the F1 grid with Alpine until at least the mid-season break.
While there have been a handful of crashes, the Aussie has bounced back quickly from each while demonstrating pace that has impressed even those within the squad’s senior ranks.
He’s also seen as a positive influence in the garage, where he works well with engineers.
Doohan entered the 2025 F1 season with Alpine amid speculation that he would only be given the opening five races before being replaced by Franco Colapinto.
Officially, the team has given its full support to Doohan, insisting he is the squad’s driver for 2025.
However, comments from those in leadership positions, especially executive advisor (and Doohan’s manager) Flavio Briatore, have undermined that position multiple times.
Pressure on Doohan has been intense and he has done well to swat it away.
That’s despite a disappointing home grand prix, where a promising build-up ended with a crash on the opening lap.
In China, he was involved in clashes during both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, picking up penalties for both in what was a difficult weekend.
He then had a heavy crash in Free Practice 2 in Japan after he failed to close the DRS when entering the first corner.
That incident came on a weekend where Colapinto was testing an older-spec car in Monza and served only to reignite rumours Doohan might be on the way out.
However, he rebounded in fine style in the Japanese Grand Prix and carried that momentum into Bahrain to do much to quash suggestions he’s headed for the door.
Doohan qualified 11th in Bahrain to narrowly miss out on his first career Q3 performance.
He didn’t put a wheel out of place throughout the 57-lap race and for much of it sat inside the points-paying positions before being railroaded in the closing third as his hard compound tyres proved no match for the softs of his rivals.
“He’s done a good job this weekend, and in general,” said Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes of Doohan’s Bahrain performance.
“I know Japan FP1 caught him out a bit, but I think this weekend, particularly throughout qualifying, Q1, the first run of Q2 – I think the last run in Q2 he is a little bit disappointed, because it was just half a 10th [to getting to Q3].
“But then in the race as well, those first two stints, he was doing a really good job.
“At the end there, I think it was tricky; the Safety Car bunched everyone up.
“Competitiveness-wise, it was hard with those cars around you but I think he’s had a good weekend.”
Doohan would have been classified 13th if not for a late track limits breach that saw him handed a five-second post-race time penalty, enough to drop him to 14th, behind Isack Hadjar.
While the opening four races of 2025 have been far from perfect, it’s understood there is enough there to lock the Aussie in for the medium-term, with Doohan now looking set to be given until mid-season to demonstrate his potential and ringfence his current seat for the balance of the year, and beyond.
2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Start time, how to watch, TV times & more
Discussion about this post