Jack Doohan blasted as "a nice guy, but not good enough for F1" after Alpine axe

Jack Doohan is “not good enough” for Formula 1 and made far too many mistakes early in his career, according to veteran racer Ralf Schumacher.

Alpine rookie Doohan was benched by the team after last weekend’s Miami GP, with Franco Colpainto taking his place in the A525 cockpit for the next six rounds of the season.

The Australian’s seat had been under threat ever since he was announced as a replacement for Esteban Ocon for 2025, with his Alpine bosses having not been convinced of his potential.

The son of MotoGP legend Mick Doohan got six races at the beginning of the 2025 F1 season to show his talent, but failed to muster a single point in a tricky car that has been a lower-midfield contender at best.

Doohan also endured a massive shunt in practice at Suzuka after failing to shut the DRS heading into Turn 1, while he also crashed out of his home race in Australia in difficult wet conditions.

Following this week’s, the 22-year-old will remain a part of Alpine as its “first-choice reserve, but it’s unclear if he will return to a race seat later in the season.

Jack Doohan 'a nice guy but not good enough for F1'

Driver-turned-TV pundit Schumacher is not surprised by Alpine’s decision to drop Doohan from its race line-up, at least in the short-term, especially with the team having Colapinto in its wings.

"Jack Doohan is a nice guy, but not good enough for Formula 1,” he told Sky Germany. “He made a lot of mistakes, was overwhelmed, and had a long test schedule. I understand Flavio [Briatore]'s move.

“Colapinto hit the ground running in Formula 1. But he also had three serious crashes at the end. Still, I think Flavio Briatore believes in him [Colapinto], and he obviously brings a lot of money with him."

Schumacher explained that the recent driver shuffle shows Alpine wants to decide who is the best driver to partner Pierre Gasly, who is contracted to the team until the end of next year.

The 2026 F1 season will see F1 overhaul its technical regulations, with the Renault brand ditching its underpowered power unit in favour of customer Mercedes engines.

This is expected to alleviate the fortunes of Alpine, which finished sixth in the championship last year with just 65 points on board.

"The change was already apparent,” Schumacher said of the Doohan news. 

“Flavio Briatore wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the Doohan appointment. His approach is to say, we have a bridging year this year, and from next year on, we'll have the Mercedes engine in the rear.

“He wants to find out who the best number two or even number one is for the new, more successful 2026 season. But communication is a problem. If they had said from the outset that Jack Doohan would have five or six races, it would have been fine. This only leaves room for speculation."

Oliver Oakes resigned from his post as Alpine’s team principal on Tuesday, around 12 hours before the team announced its decision to demote Doohan for the next six rounds.

Alpine clarified that Oakes resigned due to personal reasons and it later came to light that his younger brother William had been arrested by police in the UK and charged with “transferring criminal property”.

No direct replacement for Oakes has been announced, but executive advisor Briatore will take over his duties for the time being.

Asked about his opinion on Briatore becoming the de facto team boss of Alpine, Schumacher said: "Flavio will always do his own thing. That's also the reason why Oliver Oakes pulled the plug. Oakes has known Jack Doohan for a very long time and can't handle it.

“He also couldn't handle the backroom communication and the harshness. Flavio also had no problem with Oliver Oakes leaving.

“From what I've heard, Flavio is doing everything himself, which I hope isn't the case. In his role and with his experience, he's done a great job, but as team leader, he's too old to be actively involved in the company every day."