Juan Pablo Montoya drops his verdict on Jack Doohan being fired by Alpine for Franco Colapinto

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Jack Doohan deserved more time, as Alpine's decision to sack him was unfair. He also revealed an interesting conversation with Doohan's father wherein the latter accused the media of wrongdoings.

Alpine dropped a bombshell on Doohan as they replaced him with Franco Colapinto starting from the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola. After just six races, where the Aussie driver failed to score a point and crashed twice, the French team pulled the plug on him.

Interestingly, rumors of Doohan's having limited races at his helm were doing rounds since the beginning of the year. And the team's executive advisor Flavio Briatore's alleged backing of Colapinto reportedly made things difficult for Doohan.

Meanwhile, ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya shared his take on the whole incident. He recalled a conversation with Jack Doohan's father, Mick Doohan, in Miami, where he apparently accused the media of putting pressure to get his son out of Alpine. Talking to AS, Montoya said:

"I spoke with him, and his comment was that, ‘You, the press, are trying to expel my son.’ On the contrary, I am of the idea of giving people the opportunity and that they be fair."

Montoya further opined that Alpine was unfair to Doohan and questioned the team's logic behind signing their drivers on short-term contracts.

“It seems really bad to me if the team decides, ‘Hey, this is the person for the year. He’s here for the year.' Unless his contract really was for five races. But why are you going to sign a contract for five races? It doesn’t make sense," he added.

Interestingly, Franco Colapinto is appointed as Doohan's replacement for the next five races on the calendar. His future in the season will likely be reviewed before the 2025 British Grand Prix.

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Ralf Schumacher says Jack Doohan is too nice for F1

Jack Doohan at F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Sprint & Qualifying - Source: Getty

Alpine's sacking of Jack Doohan six races into the 2025 season has ignited a huge debate on the cutthroat competition of Formula 1. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, meanwhile, opined that Doohan is too nice to survive in F1. Talking to Sky Germany, he said,

"Jack Doohan is a nice guy, but not good enough for Formula 1. He made a lot of mistakes, was overwhelmed, and had a long test schedule. I understand Flavio [Briatore]'s move. Colapinto hit the ground running in Formula 1. But he also had three serious crashes at the end. Still, I think Flavio Briatore believes in him [Colapinto], and he obviously brings a lot of money with him."

However, Schumacher did add that Alpine should have made it clear from the beginning of the season that Doohan's days were numbered. This uncertainty leaves room for speculation, which is not an ideal situation for any driver.