THE AXE HAS FALLEN

Jack Doohan has lost his spot in Formula One.

After months of speculation, Flavio Briatore has made the change at Alpine just a day after the resignation of the French outfit's team manager, Oliver Oakes.

It's not a remote surprise, not because Doohan has struggled in the grand prix world, but because cashed-up Franco Colapinto has been prowling the sidelines like a big cat who has not been fed for too long.

It also helps massively that the Argentinian has an estimated $25 million in funding and will bring a similarly massive number of fans.

Is there any point in digging into the details? No.

So here is what Doohan says:

“I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula One driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream.

"Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing.

"That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those.

"For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.”