Without a solid start to the season at his home race in Australia, Jack Doohan’s Alpine F1 career may go no further.

That is the claim put forward by six-time F1 race winner Ralf Schumacher, who assessed the situation for a driver going into his rookie F1 season facing swirling speculation over his future before a wheel has been turned.

Jack Doohan at risk after one race?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

With Esteban Ocon departing for Haas, Alpine promoted reserve driver Doohan to take over as Pierre Gasly’s new team-mate, his debut coming early at the Abu Dhabi 2024 season finale to free Ocon to link-up with his new team.

But, as he prepares for his rookie F1 campaign, 22-year-old Doohan has already been forced to address speculation over his future.

That comes after Alpine moved to bring in Williams’ Franco Colapinto as an F1 2025 reserve, off the back of his impressive emergence onto the F1 scene last season, scoring five points across his nine starts with Williams.

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore has not moved to silence the talk that Colapinto could come in for Doohan during F1 2025, instead consistently making it clear that he will make a change should be deem it necessary.

PlanetF1.com understands that Doohan’s continued F1 2025 participation will be dependent on performance, as is the case with every driver on the grid.

And Schumacher believes Briatore could make that call after next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix depending on how Doohan gets on at his home race.

Asked on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast what he is hearing on the Doohan and Colapinto situation, Schumacher began: “I’m not hearing anything at the moment, but I know Flavio.

“If the boy doesn’t perform, he probably wasn’t really strong in the test either, [but] from what I’ve heard, it will pass pretty quickly.

“Flavio knows it himself, it could be over after Australia.

“He doesn’t have much of a future now. He’s going to Melbourne now and he’s going to put the pedal to the metal.

“In the first two or three races, of course, he could become a superstar. But it doesn’t look like that at the moment.”

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Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes also failed to categorically deny the rumours surrounding Doohan when asked about the matter.

Doohan stood his ground on the speculation at the F1 75 launch event at London’s O2 Arena, at one point retorting “is that a question?” after being asked if he felt undermined by Colapinto’s arrival.

Oakes said he was “proud” to see Doohan getting “punchy” with the media, but would not put the Aussie’s mind at ease.

Asked by the media, including PlanetF1.com, if he would quash there and then the ‘line that Jack’s got five or six grand prix’ to prove himself, Oakes responded: “It’s not my line!

“I think we’ve been really honest as a team as to what we’re doing. I’m pretty chilled on it.

“I think it would be nice, I keep saying it, but just let Jack just get on with it, and also let the team get on with it to be honest.”

He added: “I get everybody has an opinion. Everyone can be a keyboard warrior as well. It’s very simple, though, isn’t it?

“We’re here to go racing the best driver in the car, the best engine in the car. And from my side, I was pretty open that Jack, as Flavio said it, we’re starting the season with Jack and Pierre, and then let’s see how it all goes.”

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