Jack Doohan's troubles at Alpine have taken a turn for the worse, with new footage showing him struggling to exit his cockpit after the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Australian rookie, already under fire amid speculation that Franco Colapinto could soon take his seat, suffered a heavy crash in Suzuka practice, prompting whispers of a left arm or hand injury. Those concerns appeared confirmed post-race, as an Alpine mechanic and Haas driver Esteban Ocon had to assist Doohan out of the car, his left arm visibly unusable.
Compounding his woes, Colapinto—openly backed by Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore—was testing a 2023 Alpine at Monza during the same weekend. Reports indicate the Argentine outpaced fellow reserve Paul Aron by half a second over a single lap and seven tenths in race trim.
Former F1 driver Christijan Albers expressed sympathy for Doohan's plight.
"It's a very difficult situation and I don't like it," the Dutchman told De Telegraaf.
"He's just making his debut in Formula 1 and all you want to do is focus. But you can't enjoy yourself. Everyone always thinks that you're going to enjoy yourself when you're in F1, but it's not the case, as you're under pressure from day one. But with Doohan, this is really a lot of pressure. All this gossip that he'll be out after a few races, which also has everything to do with Colapinto's sponsors. That's going to be the decisive factor."
Despite the ordeal, Doohan departed Suzuka late Sunday, battered but optimistic about his next outing. "I'll take a few days to rest and recover," said the son of MotoGP icon Mick Doohan.
"I'm looking forward to racing again in Bahrain, where the conditions will be completely different."
