Doohan: I’ve been making an effort to avoid thinking about the rumors.

      Rumors suggest that Franco Colapinto's sponsors may have missed a payment.

      Jack Doohan states that he is managing to stay above the discussions regarding his position at Alpine. Following reports that the team plans to keep the rookie Australian driver until at least the summer, speculation about Colapinto has decreased somewhat. Previously, there were widespread rumors that team advisor Flavio Briatore might replace Doohan with Colapinto. However, at the recent Bahrain event, it was rumored in the paddock that the sponsors of Argentine reserve driver Colapinto might have failed to make a scheduled sponsorship payment.

      When questioned about the situation in Jeddah, Doohan remarked, "I’ve tried not to dwell on it. We know internally what my contract situation is, and I was always aware that it could change. My focus is solely on what the team and I are here to accomplish. It’s encouraging that we’ve demonstrated some positive aspects over the last four races, and we have some good momentum. There are numerous strengths to build upon, and now it's just a matter of consolidating everything, and I’m confident we can achieve great results."

      Indeed, Doohan's recent performance alongside Pierre Gasly has been respectable, but it’s also true that Gasly has been performing exceptionally well, both in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia, where he topped the time sheets in the initial practice session. Briatore stated after Bahrain that if the car had already been equipped with a Mercedes engine instead of the underpowered Renault unit, Gasly could have qualified on the front row.

      "I said I could be world champion next year," Gasly said on Friday, having claimed just a day earlier that his ambitions for 2026, with a customer Mercedes engine and gearbox, are extremely high. "So yes, I believe Alpine has the potential to compete at the front of the grid."