McLaren driver Oscar Piastri claimed that Jack Doohan “should hold his head up high,” during an interview. The statement came before fellow Australian driver was replaced by Alpine ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri Backs Jack Doohan Amid Demotion At Alpine
“Obviously I’ve seen the talk. If it is the end of the road for Jack, I think he can be very proud—of firstly making it to Formula 1. That’s not an easy thing to do, especially coming from Australia. There are a lot of hard decisions along the way.
“If he has had his final race, then I think hold your head up high. He’s been a F1 driver, and no one can take that away from you so. I’m sure he’ll have a successful career in whatever happens.”
Doohan has driven for Alpine since last year’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, he has yet to score a point. After his poor run, he has been replaced by Argentine Franco Colapinto, who will drive for Alpine for the next five grands prix, replacing Doohan.
With the Aussie being moved back to his role as reserve driver, the French team stated: “As part of an on-going assessment of its driver line-up, the team has made the decision to rotate one of its race seats for the next five rounds of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship.
“BWT Alpine Formula One Team therefore announces that Franco Colapinto will be paired with Pierre Gasly from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, ahead of a new evaluation before the British Grand Prix in July.
“Jack Doohan remains an integral part of the team and will be the first-choice Reserve Driver for this period of time.”
Also Read: Jack Doohan To Be Replaced By Franco Colapinto At Alpine
Doohan also commented: “I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream. Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing.
“That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those. For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.”
