On Wednesday, Alpine confirmed Jack Doohan had been moved aside for at least the next five races in favour of Franco Colapinto.
The switch comes six races into a difficult start to the 2025 campaign for Alpine, which lies ninth in the constructors’ championship.
Pierre Gasly is the only one of the squad’s two drivers to have scored thus far, though his results were broadly similar to Doohan’s on track.
It’s that point Mick Doohan appears to have attempted to highlight by posting images of the race results for both his son and Gasly.
Alpine has only had both cars classified in two events.
On both occasions, Gasly was better-placed, finishing two spots better in Japan and seven in Bahrain.
Doohan’s chances in Bahrain were heavily compromised by a mid-race Safety Car after he spent much of the race in a points-paying position.
Heading into the season, Doohan was engulfed in speculation that he was on borrowed time.
The arrival of Colapinto from Williams as one of the squad’s reserve drivers was seen as a direct threat to his position on the grid and quickly led to suggestions the Australian was only assured of a seat as far as the Miami Grand Prix.
Doohan rebuffed those claims while ex-team principal Oliver Oakes also attempted to play down the situation..
Even still, speculation remained and even accelerated ahead of the Miami GP when one of Colapinto’s sponsors was caught suggesting the Argentinian would be in the car for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Dismissed by the team as nothing more than a rumour, it has since proven to be on the money.
The day before it was confirmed Doohan had lost the race seat, team principal Oakes resigned from the team.
Initially thought to be a reaction to the Aussie’s dumping, there now appear to be significant external factors at play.
In the days prior to his resignation, Oakes’ brother, William, was arrested near Silverstone and remains in police custody on charges of transferring criminal property.
The Oakes brothers are both directors of the HiTech Grand Prix team, which competes in Formula 2 and Formula 3 and has previously had strong links with Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who owned 75 percent of the operation for a time.
Doohan meanwhile has pledged his support to Alpine, where he remains a reserve driver.
Discussion about this post