Alpine's decision to demote Jack Doohan and promote Franco Colapinto as reserve driver raised questions, especially given Doohan's challenging rookie season start. A deep dive into their performance data against team leader Pierre Gasly reveals a closer contest than anticipated, suggesting the move offered little clear advantage.
Why it matters:
The shake-up in Alpine's reserve driver role reflects the team's ongoing assessment of its young talent. Understanding the performance metrics behind this decision is crucial for evaluating Alpine's talent pipeline strategy and the future prospects of both drivers.
The data breakdown:
To ensure a fair comparison, RacingNews365 analyzed the first six races for both drivers: Australia to Miami for Doohan, and Imola to Britain for Colapinto. The comparison focuses on their average qualifying deficit to Gasly, average grid positions, and head-to-head records in both qualifying and races.
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Qualifying Performance (against Pierre Gasly):
- Jack Doohan: Average gap +0.516s, Average P15.3, 5-1 head-to-head win rate against others.
- Franco Colapinto: Average gap +0.611s, Average P16.1, 5-1 head-to-head win rate against others.
- Insight: Doohan showed a slight edge in qualifying pace, being 0.095s closer to Gasly on average, resulting in a better average grid position.
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Race Performance:
- Jack Doohan: Average P14.7, 4-2 head-to-head (overall), 2-0 (without DNF/DSQ/DNS).
- Franco Colapinto: Average P14.4, 4-2 head-to-head (overall), 3-2 (without DNF/DSQ/DNS).
- Insight: Colapinto slightly out-performed Doohan in race finishes, securing a marginally better average position. Both drivers' best results were outside the points, with Doohan's 13th in China and Colapinto's pair of 13ths in Monaco and Canada.
Sprint Races:
Comparing one Sprint race each (China for Doohan, Belgium for Colapinto):
- Doohan surprisingly out-qualified Gasly by 0.065s in Shanghai Sprint qualifying, though he lost in the race itself.
- Gasly significantly out-qualified Colapinto in Spa Sprint qualifying. However, due to Gasly's DNF in the race, a direct race head-to-head couldn't be registered.
The big picture:
While Doohan demonstrated a marginal advantage in single-lap qualifying pace, Colapinto managed to pull ahead slightly in average race finishes. Both drivers have been involved in significant crashes – Doohan in Japan practice and Colapinto on his Imola debut. Ultimately, the performance difference between them is negligible.
What's next:
Despite the close statistical battle, Doohan's full-time F1 career prospects currently appear limited following this demotion, while Colapinto's future with Alpine also remains uncertain.