An intense amount of scrutiny upon Jack Doohan ahead of his rookie campaign in Formula 1 means the Australian must prove his worth alongside Pierre Gasly at Alpine in 2025.
Alpine spent the majority of 2024 in the wilderness, languishing towards the back of the field and this prompted several changes.
Flavio Briatore returned to the fold in June as Executive Advisor and Oliver Oakes replaced Bruno Famin as Team Principal in August.
That came amid the groundbreaking decision to cease producing Renault F1 engines at the end of this year with Alpine poised to become a Mercedes customer outfit from 2026.
Chaos and upheaval aside, Alpine surged from ninth in the Constructors’ standings to sixth in the final four rounds of the season, buoyed by a significant upgrade at the United States Grand Prix and a double podium for Esteban Ocon and Gasly at Interlagos.
Oakes and Briatore want the end of 2024 to be a platform for Alpine to build upon and whereas Gasly’s future seems secure, the same can’t be said for his new team-mate.
So what must Alpine’s drivers prove in 2025?
Jack Doohan
Doohan made an earlier-than-expected F1 debut in the season-ending 2024 Abu Dhabi GP with Alpine as Ocon parted ways with the Anglo-French outfit ahead of schedule.
It was an undramatic and largely uninspiring debut for Doohan who had been out of racing situations for a year.
Rumours were already whirling that his entire 2025 campaign wasn’t guaranteed and the arrival of Franco Colapinto to the Alpine fold as a reserve driver has turned up the heat on Doohan.
The Australian Doohan get up to speed quickly in 2025 or else he could get the chop by ruthless Alpine Advisor Briatore.
Still, Doohan said he’s not feeling any pressure from Briatore and in conversation with select media including Motorsport Week ahead of his debut said: “We’ve been speaking today and he’s not adding any external pressure at all.
“He wants me to finish the race, and learn as much as possible ahead of next year,” Doohan added.
“We have a long season next year, which will be important for our future.
“He’s just really trying to make me welcome the whole weekend, take it step by step.”
Pierre Gasly
Gasly was on par or slightly off of Ocon’s pace during Alpine’s dark days in 2024, which comprised most of the campaign.
However, Gasly came alive when Alpine upgraded its car at the United States GP with strong results.
The Frenchman inspired a successful rise to sixth in the Constructors’ standings and he himself finished 10th in the Driver’s Championship.
Gasly must replicate that form across all 24 rounds in 2025 to ensure Alpine meets its targets of progressing.
“We had a rough winter, didn’t manage to get the car in the place we wanted to start in Bahrain,” Gasly said last month.
“But once you get the tools you have at the start of the year, you’ve got to work your best way with it.
“And I must have been very impressed with the team in the way they’ve managed to turn things around.
“The understanding, spotting where [are] the limitations of the car, finding solutions to it. And I must say I’m definitely more confident than ever into going to ‘25 with a clear idea of where we’re heading, the changes we’re going to make.
“I definitely believe the car is going to be in a much better place to start with. And yeah, it just brings confidence to all of us.”
READ MORE – Alpine insists Jack Doohan to begin F1 2025 despite Franco Colapinto arrival
