Haas F1 rookie Oliver Bearman has strongly criticized Alpine’s decision to bench fellow first-year driver Jack Doohan after just six races, calling the move “incredibly harsh” and “unfair.”
Doohan was dropped from Alpine’s race line-up following the Miami Grand Prix and replaced by reserve driver Franco Colapinto for the next five rounds, despite having had no chance to score points in a consistently underperforming car.
The decision has not only stirred conversation across the paddock but has also drawn firm support for Doohan from several of his rookie colleagues, who argue the Australian wasn’t given a fair shot.
“Thrown out before the European season”
Doohan, the 22-year-old son of MotoGP legend Mick Doohan, entered his rookie season at Alpine under immense pressure, and with high expectations from the team.
However, the opening six rounds of 2025 featured challenging circumstances for all rookies – limited track time, several unknown circuits, two sprint weekends, and a demanding travel schedule – yet Doohan was removed before the European leg of the calendar began.
Haas F1 rookie Oliver Bearman.
Bearman, who has impressed in his early outings this year, was blunt in his criticism of Alpine’s handling of the situation.
“I can only imagine it's a horrible situation and I feel like his treatment was very unfair,” commented the Ferrari protégé at Imola on Thursday.
“We've gone to four out of six tracks that have been new to us as rookies. We've had two sprint events which are even more difficult for us as rookies.
“Before he even gets to the European season where there are the tracks he knows, he's already thrown out of the car. Incredibly harsh. Imagine.”
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Despite that, the team opted to replace Doohan with Colapinto, another rookie, leaving the Australian’s future in the car uncertain for the remainder of the season.
Hadjar and Lawson echo concerns over fairness, expectations
Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, another F1 freshman, also came to Doohan’s defense, pointing to a tense atmosphere at Alpine that likely made it difficult for the young Australian to thrive.
“Even before the season, it smelled a bit bad, because I think he entered the season with a lot of pressure [and] expectations,” Hadjar said. “So not a really good environment.
“And it feels quite unfair because six races in, he didn't have much time to show anything, and it's not that he had a rocket ship as well. A bit harsh.
“I didn't have a gun to my head before starting the season. So that was definitely helpful.
“I can understand when you're Red Bull, you want to fight for the world championship, so this makes sense maybe in the top team.
“But otherwise, if you want your rookie to have experience, then you need to give him races. Otherwise, he can't race.”
Hadjar, who has witnessed the high-pressure churn of the Red Bull junior system up close – including Lawson being sidelined after just two races earlier this season – emphasized that such ruthlessness is harder to justify in a team like Alpine that isn’t contending for titles.
Lawson himself joined the chorus of support for Doohan and highlighted how brutal F1 can be for emerging talent.
“It's very cut-throat,” said the Kiwi. “In his first season, he did enough for sure even before F1 to be in Formula 1 in the first place. He deserves to come back. There's 20 seats, it's very tough.”
Solidarity among F1's Rookies
Bearman, Hadjar and Lawson’s vocal support for Doohan reflects a solidarity among the 2025 rookie class, as well as a shared frustration with the unforgiving nature of F1’s evaluation of new talent.
As the season progresses, the paddock will be watching closely to see if Doohan gets another chance to prove his worth—and whether Alpine’s decision sets a precedent for how teams treat their young drivers in the future.
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