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Jack Doohan had a disappointing outing at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as he finished where he started the race, P17. Reflecting on the weekend, he blamed Alpine's strange strategy and lack of pace for the fallout.
Doohan's qualifying pace was weak in Jeddah as he exited in Q1 to get a P17 start. On the other hand, his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly broke into Q3, qualifying at P9. However, on Sunday, Gasly crashed with Yuki Tsunoda on the opening lap, resulting in a DNF.
That crash forced a safety car, where Alpine made a bold call to pit Doohan for a fresh hard tire compound, thinking it would last longer due to less degradation. However, the decision backfired as the Australian driver had to pit again after 32 laps, which cost him positions.
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Moreover, due to a lack of pace, Doohan couldn't push to the extreme and occasionally slowed down to cool the car. Looking back at the weekend, he said, via Formula1.com:
“It's one of my most difficult days in Formula 1 to date. A combination of things just wasn’t clicking. We obviously took the gamble on that first lap Safety Car. I questioned it initially because I was like, "Well, we’ve got 49 laps to go here on this hard,’ and to be honest, I felt quite comfortable in the first laps behind Nico [Hulkenberg]".
He added:
“Unfortunately, we just didn’t have enough to get past on the straights. Then I would take a lap to not be up his gearbox and let everything cool down, but if I wasn’t at that 0.5-0.6s and was still in DRS, I was just a victim to the cars behind.”
Jack Doohan is still without points this season. With the mid-season approaching, the Australian driver will have to prove himself before Alpine considers pulling the plug on the rookie.
Jack Doohan breaks silence on his contract situation with Alpine
According to the rumor mill, Jack Doohan's Alpine seat is in danger. The team's executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, is reportedly considering replacing Doohan with reserve driver Franco Colapinto if the former fails to come through with results.
Meanwhile, amid raging speculations, Doohan said he was focused on the season instead of his contract. Talking to Motorsportweek, he said:
“I’ve tried not to think about it [contract]. We know internally what my contract situation is, and the rest, I always knew, was going to be fluctuating for sure. All I can focus on is what I and the team are here to do and for me to get up to speed as quickly as possible."
Colapinto, who impressed Flavio in his short stint with Williams last year, has reportedly signed a long-term contract with Alpine. Moreover, his sponsorship money and fame give him an edge over Jack Doohan.
