Jack Doohan's reported $10 Million Sponsor helped retain Alpine seat amid Colapinto links

Alpine driver Jack Doohan has reportedly secured his seat for now, following months of speculation that he might be replaced after a few races.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has claimed that the real reason for his future being secured is a substantial sponsorship that the Australian brings to the team.

According to Schumacher, Doohan contributes over $10 million to the racing team, which plays a role in his continued presence on the team.

More News: Ferrari Team Principal Calls for More "Consistent" Performances from the Team

Before the start of the year, several reports claimed that Doohan had a clause in his contract allowing the team to move on from him after a handful of races.

Moreover, what fueled the fire was Alpine's acquisition of former Williams driver Franco Colapinto, forking out a substantial fee to secure him. Upon his arrival, given that Doohan had already secured a drive, Colapinto was appointed as the team's reserve driver.

Franco brings millions from South American sponsors himself, and Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore is a huge fan of the driver, which made it seem like it was only a matter of time until he took the seat from Doohan.

More News: Ferrari Team Principal Defends Lewis Hamilton in Explosive Response

Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes, however, has been a very vocal supporter of Doohan and has backed the driver to deliver better performances.

Teammate Pierre Gasly has thoroughly beaten Doohan in every race so far, though Doohan has shown a respectable pace gap in qualifying and the race.

Schumacher, however, believes that Doohan is not good enough for F1 and has other factors keeping him in the seat.

More News: Leclerc: "We Maximized Absolutely Everything" Despite Ferrari Qualifying Weakness

“I don’t want to say it quite as harshly as Dr. Marko said that he’s a Class C driver,” Schumacher said.

“He is not a Class C driver, certainly, he’s a good driver, but, in my opinion, not good enough for Formula 1."

“It is still a bit early of course, and he has a very experienced teammate in Gasly, who is also settled into the team and is receiving support."

“That’s why it’s maybe a bit harsh and unfair, but I would say that in relation to the other rookies, you can see that he’s someone who might not necessarily be competing for the world championship at some point, so to speak."

“And if the money doesn’t come in from Colapinto, then I don’t think he will be exchanged for the time being, because I hear Doohan also has a sponsor worth €10m [£8.56m] in the bag, and that has to be paid out somehow."

“I can imagine that he will survive somehow, but Flavio is always good for a surprise.”

For more F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.