Martin Brundle insists "F1 is not a finishing school" as Alpine have made the decision to axe Jack Doohan.
Doohan has been stood down from his race driver role for at least the next five races, with Franco Colapinot being drafted in until and including the Austrian GP.
The change has been one muted since Colapinto was signed by Alpine as a reserve driver in January, with the team facing almost weekly questions about Doohan's long-term future.
Reflecting on the situation, and speaking before the news was made official, Brundle feels Doohan was unlucky to be removed, but that F1 remains "a brutal business."
"Is it about money? Has Colapinto really got this money?" Brundle mused on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
"He dismantled a few Williams, but he showed a lot of potential, and at the end of the day, if a driver, whatever their name or experience, if they are not performing well enough and they are doing a lot of damage to their car, whatever the contracts say [they will be replaced].
"Flavio is actually part of Jack's management team as well which is slightly clouding the issue, but if he is not able to get the job done, they'll make a change.
"You kind of think, give him until the summer break as a rookie to find his feet and show what he can do because he has shown flashes of speed and potential, but this is a brutal business.
"It is not a finishing school, it is Formula 1."
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