Martin Brundle says there was ‘no point’ in Alpine signing alternative to Jack Doohan

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Jack Doohan has become the second rookie to join the 2025 Formula 1 grid with more expected to follow.

The Australian joins Oliver Bearman – who has signed a multi-year deal with Haas – as a newcomer for next season as the 2025 grid almost nears completion.

A few drivers were said to be under consideration by the Enstone team, with Mick Schumacher being rumoured to be one option. The German is currently racing in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.

But the French outfit have gone with Doohan, who will be partnering Pierre Gasly next year as Esteban Ocon departs the team and is heading with Bearman to Haas.

Alpine’s statement alluded to the 21-year-old’s contract only being for the 2025 season, so Doohan will be under pressure to perform if he wants to keep his seat beyond next year.

Martin Brundle lauds Alpine’s signing of Jack Doohan

Speaking shortly after Alpine’s announcement on Sky Sports F1 before FP1 in Zandvoort, Martin Brundle was delighted with the signing of Doohan and said that there was ‘no point’ in bringing in an alternative.

Doohan has been with Alpine since 2022 as part of their academy. The Australian has also driven numerous tests in F1 machinery for the team over the last few years with Alpine investing ’many millions into Doohan to aid his development.

F1 is notoriously difficult to get into, as evidenced by this season being the first time in history that the driver line-up has stayed the same from the end of the previous season.

Brundle says that it ‘makes sense’ for Doohan to join Alpine, insisting that teams should promote their junior drivers when a seat becomes available.

“Very good news for Jack, isn’t it?” he said. “There’s no point in having junior programmes if you don’t use your juniors when you’ve got an opening, so that makes sense.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? Everything you need to know

“I feel that Alpine, with a lot of work to do, a lot of new faces and not a huge amount of Formula 1 experience, are steadying the ship. They’re now a little bit more set fair to start to regroup, regrow.”

Can Jack Doohan perform at Alpine?

Alpine were largely considered to be the best of the rest behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes with their fourth-place finish in the constructors’ in 2022.

The French squad dropped to sixth last season after the surge in form from McLaren and Aston Martin. In 2024, the team have fallen even further down the order, with regular eliminations in Q1.

Ocon scored the team’s first point in Miami with a 10th-place finish. Alpine has gone on to score only 10 more as the season heads to the Netherlands.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore

However, the Enstone-based squad is slowly building back up with some strong recruitment off the track, including bringing Flavio Briatore back to the team.

With improvements already being seen on track with better qualifying and more points getting on the board, Doohan may be joining Alpine at the right time.