Oakes admits Doohan replacement pressure: 'We've caused a lot of the noise'
F1 News
Jack Doohan struggled in the first race of his first full Formula 1 season as he crashed out in the challenging conditions in Melbourne. With Franco Colapinto waiting in the sidelines at Alpine, it is incredibly important for Doohan to quickly show some good performances and why he deserves his seat.
After a disappointing race for the rookie, Alpine's Team Principal Oliver Oakes spoke about the added pressure that the team have placed on the rookie with rumours that he may soon be replaced if he does not perform well. "I think it's fair to say we've caused a lot of the noise. You know, being open, I think that we haven't put him in the best position there," he stated to GPblog and other media.
Despite admitting that the team have added to the pressure, Oakes revealed that he felt this was warranted for the overall success of the team. "But I also think, flip it the other way, we've got a duty as a team to perform. We've got 900 people who depend on us to make the right choice for the team. And I think a lot of it's circumstance as well, isn't it? Because I think you're going for a great change."
Oakes on F1 pressure: 'You have to perform no matter what's thrown at you'
"I think we've got three or four reserves now. As a team we need to do that because it is right with one eye to the future. But I feel for him because at the end of the day probably all that noise was brought on from what we did," Oakes continued. "By the same token, if you're good and you can handle it, you deserve to be in F1. At the end of the day, you are one of 20 drivers here and you have to perform no matter what's thrown at you."
Franco Colapinto impressed everyone in the paddock after replacing Logan Sargeant in the middle of the 2024 season, where he produced some impressives performances for Williams. Oakes shared that Colapinto's performance is a big factor for the speculation over Doohan's future at the team. "From my side, I think probably if it had been anyone else who was signed as a reserve driver without a big following and all of that sort of noise that comes with that, it would have been slightly different."
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