Jack Doohan seems to have steadied his position at Alpine, with his race seat now appearing secure at least until the European summer.
Persistent rumours this season so far suggested the Australian rookie was on a six-race deal, potentially paving the way for Franco Colapinto to step in after just two more races.
However, team advisor Flavio Briatore recently hinted at a more patient approach.
"Colapinto? Let's see," he told La Stampa newspaper.
"The priority is to have a top-level car that is up to par with the four giants McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari," Briatore added.
Auto Motor und Sport now reports paddock sources indicating that the 22-year-old, son of MotoGP icon Mick Doohan, has earned "a grace period until the summer, despite his two accidents in Melbourne and Japan".
Team principal Oliver Oakes has consistently shown more support for Doohan than Briatore. "He's done a good job this weekend, and in general," Oakes said in Bahrain last weekend.
"I know he was a bit off guard in FP1 in Japan, but I think this weekend, particularly during qualifying—Q1, the first run of Q2—it was better," he continued. "I think he was a bit disappointed in the last run of Q2, because he was just half a tenth away from making it to Q3," Oakes noted.
"Then in the race, too, those first two stints, he did a very good job," he said. "In the end it was difficult with the safety car, which brought everyone together. In terms of competitiveness, it was difficult with the cars around him," Oakes explained.
"I think he had a good weekend, really," he concluded.
