Oakes: Signing Colapinto keeps everyone honest, gives us options

Formula 1 is a ruthless business, and Doohan, who has been Alpine's reserve for some time, did not get enough time to soak in his promotion into a full-time drive replacing Haas-bound Esteban Ocon before the team announced Colapinto's signing as a reserve.

Colapinto joined 24H of Le Mans winner Ryo Hirakawa and Formula 2 driver Paul Aron in the French team's reserve driver roster, but having the Argentine on board was seen as a move that would keep Doohan on his toes, a pressure that is unneeded for the F1 rookie.

But Oakes insists that is not the case, claiming Doohan will get a fair opportunity to prove his worth in his rookie F1 season.

He told James Allen on his F1 podcast: "It's been a little bit harsh on Jack, some of the stuff that was written by the keyboard warriors there, and he's getting his fair crack at it next year.

"And I think the intention there isn't to put [pressure] on his shoulders. It's genuinely to give the team options further down the line," he added. "And for me F1 is fine margins.

"There's a load of people who are depending on a driver to deliver each weekend, and we need to make sure we've got the best drivers in the race car, not just now, but also in the future."

Colapinto was drafted midseason in 2024 by Williams to replace the underperforming and crash-prone Logan Sargeant and did an impressive job that made other teams interested in his services, even Red Bull, before being put off by a series of errors towards the end of last season.

Oakes explained: "I think Franco made a great first impression with Williams. I think it was clear to see that he probably tried a bit too hard at the end there.

"How much of that was the situation he was in, where he didn't have a seat confirmed and was trying to over-impress, and how much of that was a compromise on parts on the car, that's hard to calculate. But I think the crux is he made a strong impression with the speed he showed.

"For us as a team it's great to have that roster of two young drivers in Paul and Franco there waiting in the wings, because it's not just about 2025; 2026, 2027 is around the corner, and it's hard in F1 to plan what's going to happen and what drivers you're going to have to go in the car.

"For us, it just keeps everyone honest in terms of how they're performing and gives us options," Oakes concluded.

Doohan made his debut with Alpine at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Ocon was shown the door earlier than expected, the Frenchman admitting the end of his career with Alpine was not how he envisioned it to be.