Hadjar Defends Doohan After Alpine's Driver Change

Hadjar Defends Doohan Amid Alpine Demotion

Isack Hadjar has voiced his support for Jack Doohan following Alpine's decision to replace him with Franco Colapinto for five races.

Why it matters:

• Hadjar believes Doohan faced undue pressure and lacked sufficient time to prove himself.
• He contrasts Doohan's situation with his own at Racing Bulls, highlighting the support he receives.
• Hadjar acknowledges the different circumstances of Red Bull's driver changes compared to Alpine's.

The details:

Alpine announced that Doohan would be replaced by Colapinto before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for evaluation. Hadjar expressed his view on Alpine's handling of Doohan, suggesting it was unfair considering the pressure and limited opportunity Doohan had in a less competitive car.

"Even before the season, it smelled a bit bad, because I think he entered the season with a lot of pressure, 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. So, yeah, a bit harsh."

Hadjar pointed out the difference in his own experience at Racing Bulls.

"Yeah, I didn't have a gun to my head before starting the season. So that was definitely helpful. And I had good support here since day one. So yeah, it was definitely helping."

What's next:

Hadjar acknowledged the different context of Red Bull's driver changes, but emphasized the importance of giving rookies enough race time to gain experience.

"I mean, I can understand when you're Red Bull, you want to fight for the world championship," added Hadjar. "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."