Mick Doohan, motorcycle racing legend and father of axed Alpine star Jack Doohan, took to Instagram on Wednesday to protest his son’s exit from the team. He posted the results of both the rookie and team-mate Pierre Gasly’s results in successive story posts, making it clear that he felt the decision was a harsh one. Doohan Jnr was afforded just seven Grand Prix appearances before he was unceremoniously dumped ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old failed to score points during this period, but was driving uncompetitive machinery with experienced team-mate Gasly faring little better, despite his reputation as an elite midfield driver. While Doohan failed to score a finish higher than 13th in a Grand Prix and suffered high-profile crashes in Australia, Japan, and most recently in Miami, Gasly fared little better. Aside from an exceptional drive in Bahrain that secured six points for the Alpine team, he has failed to finish in the top 10 at any other feature race.

“Having reviewed the opening races of the season, we have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races,” Briatore explained. “With the field being so closely matched this year, and with a competitive car, which the team has drastically improved in the past 12 months, we are in a position where we see the need to rotate our line-up.

“We also know the 2026 season will be an important one for the team, and having a complete and fair assessment of the drivers this season is the right thing to do in order to maximise our ambitions next year.

“We continue to support Jack at the team, as he has acted in a very professional manner in his role as a race driver so far this season. The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options.”

Doohan Snr may feel that his son’s exit from Alpine was harsh, by Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle sees both sides in the decision. “Is it about money?” he asked. “Has Colapinto really got this money?

“Colapinto dismantled a few Williams, didn’t he, but showed a lot of potential. As I understand it, Flavio is actually part of Jack Doohan’s management team, which is slightly clouding the issue. If he’s not able to get the job done, then they’ll have to make a change.

“You kind of think ‘give him to the summer break’ as a rookie to find his feet and show what he can do. He has shown flashes of speed and potential, but this is a brutal business. It’s not a finishing school, it’s Formula One.”