Jack Doohan remains upbeat despite uncertain F1 future
Speaking with the media after the Miami Grand Prix Jack Doohan struck an optimistic tone. But speculation swirls
MIAMI, Florida — Speaking with the media, including SB Nation, following the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Alpine driver Jack Doohan remained upbeat, despite an opening-lap incident that cut down one of his tires, ending his race before he completed a lap.
However, the day after the race rumors continue to swirl about his F1 future.
Doohan began his comments by addressing the opening-lap incident with Liam Lawson. “As we all know, nothing would be intentional,” said Doohan. “Unfortunately, he got squeezed there. I don’t know, maybe he had a car on his outside. We just have to look into it because it didn’t end well for me and I don’t think it helped him out as well.
“We’ve just got to keep our heads up. Looking forward to Imola now.”
Whether he will be in the car at Imola, however, remains an open question.
Since before the season began there has been speculation about Doohan’s long-term future at Alpine, speculation that started when the team signed 2024 super-sub Franco Colapinto, whose brief stint on the grid for Williams last season made him a star. But without an available seat on the grid Colapinto signed with Alpine as a reserve.
The rumors kicked into high gear ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, when one of the driver’s backers was caught on a hot mic saying that Colapinto would be in the car “in Imola.”
Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes brushed aside that moment during his FIA Press Conference on Friday at the Miami Grand Prix, stating that the plan was to have Doohan in the car at Imola as of that time.
Well, plans can always change. Such as the announcement late Sunday that Oakes would not hold a post-race press availability. Maybe that was completely unrelated to any decisions regarding Doohan, or maybe not.
Multiple outlets, starting with The Race, are reporting that a decision was indeed made on Sunday night to make a switch, with Colapinto taking Doohan’s place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in two weeks. SB Nation has not independently confirmed these reports.
Returning to Sunday evening in the media pen, Doohan reflected on his start to the season.
“Unfortunately the things that have gone wrong this weekend have been outside of my control,” he said in his press session. “But you always have to reflect as well and see in those situations if there was anything that I could have done better.
“So I will be reflecting on that for a brief period of time before just switching my focus to the upcoming race in Imola.”
Now we wait to see if he gets that chance.