Flavio Briatore ‘decided to make things difficult’ for Jack Doohan when he tried to leave Alpine

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Jack Doohan hasn’t officially left Alpine yet, but an announcement may be imminent. It’s become increasingly clear since he lost his F1 drive that he had no future at the team.

Doohan was replaced by Franco Colapinto just six races into his rookie season. While he’s appeared at occasional races since, fellow reserve driver Paul Aron is clearly ahead of him in the pecking order.

It emerged during October that Doohan was having to pay for his own testing programme in junior formula cars. His involvement with setup work on the simulator was also limited.

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According to a report from AS-Web, Doohan still believes he can return to the F1 grid, just not with Alpine.

Flavio Briatore deliberately hindered Jack Doohan’s efforts to escape Alpine

AS-Web believe that Doohan has ‘finally’ found a way out of Alpine. This is after team boss Flavio Briatore ‘decided to make things difficult’.

Briatore ‘never intended’ to let Doohan drive for Alpine again, but he has apparently obstructed the Australian’s efforts to move to Super Formula. When he arrived in the Abu Dhabi paddock last week, he still didn’t know where he would be racing in 2026.

A source close to the driver says Briatore didn’t give him clearance to fly to Japan for Super Formula testing until 24 hours before his flight was scheduled. The ‘deadlocked’ negotiations put the move in ‘jeopardy’.

Briatore could simply point out that the driver was under contract until the end of the year anyway. But it’s a surprise that he obstructed his release when he had not only Aron (his preferred option) but also Kush Maini available as a backup.

Jack Doohan could drive for Haas in FP1 sessions in 2026

Doohan has been testing for the Toyota-powered Kondo Racing team. He is building a ‘close’ relationship with the Japanese giants that he hopes will facilitate a return to F1 in the long term.

Toyota are becoming Haas’ title sponsors for 2026, which is expected to facilitate an extensive TPC programme. Doohan could be of assistance in that regard.

There’s also a possibility that he will make FP1 appearances for Ayao Komatsu’s squad, who are continuing with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman as full-time drivers.

Doohan has also spoken to Williams, Cadillac and Sauber but has made most progress in talks with Haas.