Why Formula 1 expert Ralf Schumacher expects more from Alpine driver Jack Doohan and how Doohan himself rates his performance so far
Ralf Schumacher has so far been unimpressed by Formula 1 newcomer Jack Doohan: “He’s not really doing a great job and is making a lot of mistakes.” Therefore, one may question whether the Australian is really a good choice for the Alpine cockpit alongside Pierre Gasly.
Because according to Schumacher, Doohan has to deliver more: “He has been extremely well prepared with an insane number of test kilometers. He would just have to deliver like Oscar Piastri, but he doesn’t. On the contrary: he seems a bit overwhelmed with his actions. So he’s taking a sledgehammer approach.” And so far, this approach has not earned Doohan any championship points.
“That’s why I think his days at Alpine are rather numbered,” says Schumacher on Sky. This coincides with the hints that Alpine consultant Flavio Briatore had already made before the start of the season: According to these, Doohan is driving under observation in the first races and could, for example, be replaced by an Alpine test driver like Franco Colapinto.
Because Schumacher believes: Briatore never wanted Doohan in the car. “I have the feeling that this decision was made before Flavio was there. It’s a kind of forced marriage,” says the former Formula 1 driver. “And somehow you get the feeling that Flavio Briatore doesn’t think much of Doohan.”
Doohan thinks he is on course
Doohan himself, however, emerges strengthened from the second race weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 season: his first finish this year gives him confidence. “We’re generally lacking a bit of pace, but we can be pretty happy with four position gains, especially since we kept a Racing Bulls behind us for a good 20 laps – and that was a Q3 car.”
But 13th place in the Chinese Grand Prix is not very flattering when a total of three drivers were disqualified before Doohan and he lost one position due to a ten-second time penalty.
“Of course I have to look at it again,” says the Alpine driver. ‘Obviously, I don’t want to get penalties regularly and lose places as a result. And you don’t get points for P14 or P16, but it still feels a bit better. There are a lot of positives we can take away.’
How big Doohan’s deficit really is
Doohan explicitly includes the gap to his Alpine teammate Gasly, who is “on average quite similar,” and that “plus or minus a tenth of a second, depending on the unit,” according to Doohan.
According to F1 Tempo’s data analysis, this assessment applies to sprint qualifying and qualifying in Shanghai, but not to free practice, the sprint and the Grand Prix, where the gap was significantly greater for the most part: in a direct comparison, Doohan loses around two tenths per lap to his teammate over the race distance.
“The most important thing is that we see progress within the team. People are very happy,” says Doohan, explicitly mentioning Flavio Briatore, team principal Oliver Oakes and also Renault boss Luca de Meo, as well as the shareholders of the Franco-British racing team.
“Of course they want to score points. As soon as the car is ready, we have to be ready to get the maximum out of it. But until then, we have to keep working hard and stay focused. And hopefully Suzuka will suit us better,” says Doohan.
But will Doohan get another chance at Alpine in Japan? “I think that, if it were up to Flavio, it’s unlikely,” says Schumacher. “I think Flavio really hopes and believes that Colapinto will do a better job. Which, of course, will also help to push the team forward. So I’m excited.”
