Doohan crashed out of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix on then opening lap after being caught out in wet conditions.
It marked an early end to what had otherwise been a strong weekend for the young Australian.
He outpaced Pierre Gasly during practice on Friday and was a match for him in qualifying too.
Though his Sunday performance fell short, Doohan demonstrated he’s up for the task.
It’s a performance that comes against a backdrop of speculation that Franco Colapinto is poised to take Doohan’s seat.
While Oakes has offered Doohan measured support previously, he has now admitted that Alpine has not made it easy for the Australian.
“I think it’s fair to say we’ve caused a lot of the noise,” Oakes confessed.
“I think that we haven’t put him in the best position there.
“Flip it the other way, we’ve got a duty as a team to perform; 900 people who depend on us to make the right choice for the team.
“But I feel for him because, at the end of the day, probably all that noise was brought on from what we did.”
It’s a startlingly honest admission from the Alpine boss, who seems to have understood the team’s role in feeding the speculation rather than pinning the blame on the media.
Oakes was also quick to sing Doohan’s praises in Melbourne despite his Lap 1 disappointment.
“Out of six rookies, was it two who finished? So he’s not the only one,” Oakes reasoned.
“Also it wasn’t like a mistake. Obviously it’s one you don’t want to happen but it wasn’t through a racing incident or doing something silly.
“He was just genuinely caught out, and he wasn’t the only one.”
The outcome is Doohan will receive encouragement and nurturing from Oakes.
“From my side, it’s pretty much give him a hug and ‘come on mate, let’s go into next weekend’.
“He’s had a brilliant weekend and, actually, you want to keep that momentum.
“And for us in the team, it’s been really nice.
“The dynamic of him and Pierre working with the engineers, it’s been good to see – we didn’t have that for a while.”
Oakes and Doohan have discussed the current situation, with the conversation touching on the speculation in the media.
He has been combative with the media on questions about his future, an approach Oakes approves of.
“He didn’t need that reassurance for me because I think he knows as well how F1 is: you’ve got to perform,” Oakes said.
“He is just a tough kid as well.
“You can see that nothing seems to faze him.
“How he came out the car today after that crash, part of me goes ‘he wanted to be more upset’, but obviously he knows.
“He’s annoyed for the boys in the garage but also, by the same token, he knows he’s just got to get on with it next weekend.”
