Formula 1 star Jack Doohan has revealed that the 'pressure' to perform will immediately be on his shoulders when he makes his full-time debut in 2025, in a new release from his team.
Having started the season as clearly the worst-performing team on the F1 grid, Alpine finished 2024 with a flurry of points-scoring finishes - including two podiums - as they finished up in sixth in the constructors' championship.
Doohan even managed to make his debut during that resurgent spell, replacing Esteban Ocon at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and finishing down in 15th.
Doohan already under pressure at Alpine?
Ahead of the 2025 season, Alpine's executive advisor Flavio Briatore insisted that Doohan may be replaced as the team's driver if he does not hit the ground running, with a number of young stars queuing up.
The Argentine racer shone with Williams after replacing Logan Sargeant midway through the season, but has been left without a seat on the F1 grid as Williams had already opted to sign outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
Now, Doohan has commented on the difficulties of getting into F1, even if you have the talent to do so, highlighting the importance of performing once given a full-time seat.
"The chances are so so slim. You can do everything right, tick all the boxes, execute perfectly and for whatever reason, timing, bit of luck, fortune, and it doesn't happen," Doohan said in a new release on Alpine's official YouTube channel.
"You're so close but also so far. The whole time I knew that I had the capabilities to do so, I believed in myself and my abilities and so did the team. There is pressure to perform."