Oakes: The noise around Jack Duane doesn't affect him.

      On the first day of the pre-season tests in Bahrain, Oliver Oakes, the head of the Alpine F1 team, said this phrase in an interview with Sky Sports, and we quoted it.: "There were all kinds of conversations and rumors about our team, which also didn't help matters..." 

      He was referring to rumors that Jack Duane's position in the team was very precarious, although they were based on Franco Colapinto's invitation to the team and Flavio Briatore's comments about it. At another meeting with the press yesterday, Oakes elaborated on this topic in more detail and very categorically expressed his support for the 22-year-old Australian racing driver.

      "You pressed Jack very hard on this,– Oliver said, addressing the reporters working on the tests. – But we must give him his due, he did not pay attention to it, continued to work and perform the tasks that faced him in the winter off-season.

      I worry a lot about him, because he hears all kinds of criticism, and it's not fair. This is his first full season in Formula 1, and I believe that Jack's name, of course, got into the news only because there was no special news in the winter.

      And Franco is a popular guy, and people want to see him driving a car. But I think it's very good for the team that we have Jack. He is a graduate of the Alpine Academy, and he did a good job at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and immediately drove fast in the tests. He's also great because all this fuss about his name doesn't affect him, and he's coping very well with this situation.…

      Despite all the talk about Franco, Jack got his chance, and I'll be watching his performances with interest this season."

      Duane piloted the Alpine A525 car during yesterday's morning session, showed the 6th time among 10 participants, and at the end of the day he was on the 14th line of the protocol. On Thursday, he will work on the track in the afternoon.