Doohan's father criticizes Alpine following the Colapinto incident.

      "It’s a completely different car from what I'm accustomed to."

      Jack Doohan’s well-known father has taken a direct shot at Alpine after the Australian rookie was removed from the race lineup. Franco Colapinto, who is highly regarded but also significantly backed by corporate Argentina, was already behind Pierre Gasly’s pace when he entered what would turn out to be a disastrous debut qualifying session for the team based in Enstone. Initially, when the 21-year-old’s engineer instructed him to "creep out" of the garage after a red flag, Colapinto disregarded the direction and drove to the end of the pit lane, resulting in a grid penalty. However, the situation worsened for Doohan’s replacement when he crashed heavily. "I was getting closer and closer to Gasly," Colapinto stated afterward. "I felt good. It’s a very different car from what I'm used to." Doohan, serving as the official reserve at Imola, was seen on the live world feed just moments after Colapinto’s crash, unable to conceal his smile. Also present at Imola is Doohan’s notable father Mick, a multiple-time motorcycle world champion. When asked about his son losing his seat just six races into his career, Mick Doohan told DAZN: "It’s disappointing to see how things have unfolded. On paper, he looked quite strong. But in any case, this is Formula 1. And it appears that Alpine is functioning as a customer team now," he remarked, alluding to speculation that Doohan was let go simply because Colapinto’s sponsors could provide more funding. Following the initial news regarding Colapinto, the 59-year-old Mick Doohan shared a social media 'story' that highlighted how Jack’s performance statistics for 2025 compared favorably with those of teammate Gasly. "It wasn’t my story," Doohan senior chuckled, "it was someone else’s story that I simply re-posted. I was just trying to make a point." Mick confessed that he’s "not sure" if Doohan and Colapinto have spoken at all during Imola. "I have no idea. He’s an adult, so I don’t know who he’s been in contact with," Doohan responded.