Alpine F1 team principal Oliver Oakes has acknowledged that much of the pre-season speculation surrounding Jack Doohan’s future was inadvertently fueled by the French outfit itself rather than by the media.
In a rare burst of candor, Oakes owned up to the team’s role in the “noise” that’s dogged Doohan’s debut season, while still backing the Aussie to rise above it.
Doohan arrived at Albert Park with something to prove. The 22-year-old had been a revelation all weekend, outpacing veteran teammate Pierre Gasly in Friday practice and matching him blow-for-blow in qualifying.
Sunday was his chance to shine on home soil – until Melbourne’s rain-soaked track bit the young gun on the opening lap of the race.
Caught out by the treacherous conditions, Doohan’s A525 kissed the barriers, ending his race before it barely began. It was a gut punch after a weekend that had hinted at so much more.
But this wasn’t just a rookie mistake in isolation. It came against a backdrop of relentless speculation – whispers that highly-rated Alpine reserve Franco Colapinto was circling Doohan’s seat like a shark.
The pressure was palpable, and Oakes didn’t dodge the elephant in the room afterlast Sunday’s race. In fact, he pointed the finger squarely at himself and Alpine.
Alpine’s Own Noise Machine
In a moment of startling honesty, Oakes peeled back the curtain on the team’s internal missteps.
“I think it’s fair to say we’ve caused a lot of the noise. I think that we haven’t put him in the best position there,” confessed, quote by Speedcafe.
It’s not every day an F1 boss admits to stoking the fire that’s burning their driver. The speculation about Doohan’s future? The chatter about replacements? Oakes owned it.
But I feel for him because, at the end of the day, probably all that noise was brought on from what we did.
“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.”
Oakes’ admission flipped the script: the gossip and hearsay weren’t just media hype run amok; Alpine had handed them the megaphone. For Doohan, caught in the crossfire, it’s been a tougher debut than it needed to be.
Crash Chaos: Not Just a Rookie Thing
Lap 1 might’ve been a disaster, but Oakes wasn’t about to hang Doohan out to dry. The Melbourne mess claimed plenty of victims – rookies and veterans alike – and the Alpine boss was quick to put it in perspective.
“Out of six rookies, was it two who finished? So he’s not the only one,” he 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.”
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It’s a fair take. The wet track turned Albert Park into a skating rink, and Doohan wasn’t the only one to pirouette off the stage.
For Oakes, it wasn’t about pointing fingers – it was about picking up the pieces.
“From my side, it’s pretty much give him a hug and ‘come on mate, let’s go into next weekend,’” he said.
“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.”
Doohan’s Tough Skin Shines
If Doohan was rattled, he didn’t show it. The young gun’s got grit, and Oakes couldn’t help but admire it.
“He didn’t need that reassurance for me because I think he knows as well how F1 is: you’ve got to perform,” he said. “He is just a tough kid as well. You can see that nothing seems to faze him.”
Even after climbing out of a crumpled car, Doohan’s reaction spoke volumes.
“How he came out of the car today after that crash, part of me goes ‘he wanted to be more upset’, but obviously he knows,” Oakes observed.
“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.”
That steeliness has served Doohan well, especially with the media hounding him about his future. He’s been scrappy in response, batting away questions with a fighter’s edge – and Oakes loves it.
Alpine’s rookie isn’t buckling; he’s bristling. It’s a trait that could carry him far, noise or no noise.
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