F1 driver Jack Doohan has given his response to news that he has been dropped by Alpine after just six races of the 2025 season.
Doohan was removed as Pierre Gasly's teammate after a puncture forced him to retire during the opening lap of Sunday's Miami Grand Prix.
The Australian driver will replaced by Franco Colapinto for the next five races as Alpine review their options.
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Miami didn't go to plan for Alpine. Doohan made accidental contact with Liam Lawson and left the race with the resulting puncture and Gasly finished outside the points.
Doohan crashed out of his debut in Australia and also ran into trouble in practice in Japan.
Colapinto, signed for big money ahead of the season to be Alpine's reserve driver, will take his seat starting at Imola on Sunday 18 May.
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"The latest chapter is a tough one," admits the axed driver.
"I will keep my head down, keep working hard. I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help."
Doohan is the second driver to be dropped this season after Lawson was demoted from Red Bull to the sister Racing Bulls team, and the change comes just a day after the resignation of Alpine's Team Principal, Oliver Oakes.
Oakes has been replaced by executive advisor and F1 mogul Flavio Briatore and Alpine's attentions have shifted to next season.
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The team brought Colapinto in as reserve after he impressed after taking over Logan Sargeant's Williams seat last season, snatching him from under the noses of Red Bull before they picked up Lawson instead.
Alpine rotating the line-up
Like Doohan, Briatore put a positive spin on the situation.
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"Having reviewed the opening races of the season, we have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races," he said.
"With the field being so closely matched this year, and with a competitive car, which the team has drastically improved in the past 12 months, we are in a position where we see the need to rotate our line-up."
Gasly and Colapinto will be in the Alpine cars for the Emilia-Romagna GP in Northern Italy next weekend.
Chris Nee