Jack Doohan’s future was hanging by a thread even before the season began, especially after Alpine announced the addition of Franco Colapinto to the team as a reserve driver, having signed him away from Williams with a winter agreement.
The Australian’s early races this year were inevitably marked by pressure and the realistic awareness that his future with Alpine might not last as long as hoped, possibly ending after just a few Grands Prix. And so it has: Jack Doohan will no longer be in the car starting from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, where he will be replaced by Franco Colapinto.
Alpine decided to rotate the two drivers “as part of an ongoing evaluation of its line-up,” offering the Argentine the opportunity to return to an F1 cockpit — the very opportunity that convinced him to accept the reserve role at Enstone months ago, with hopes of returning to the grid.
However, Alpine clarified that, for now, the agreement covers five races: the European triple-header of Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona, plus the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix. Afterwards, the team will re-evaluate the line-up ahead of the British GP at Silverstone, scheduled for July. It is clear, however, that the choice to bet on Colapinto points toward a potentially long-term solution.
“I’ve kept myself in shape and as ready as possible thanks to the team’s test program with race support, as well as simulator work at Enstone,” said Colapinto, who in recent months took part in several TPC test sessions using cars that are at least two years old, to quickly adapt to the Alpine environment and procedures.
“I’ll do my best to adapt quickly and give everything I have to achieve the best possible results alongside Pierre.”
The Australian’s replacement comes after a rocky start to the 2025 season, in which Jack Doohan was unfortunately involved in several incidents — including the one at Suzuka during free practice, when he left the DRS open through a high-speed corner, causing serious damage to the car.
Unlike teammate Pierre Gasly, Jack Doohan had yet to score any points, although he did manage to qualify ahead of Pierre Gasly for the first time in Miami, before retiring due to contact with Liam Lawson at Turn 1. The Australian had begun to show tentative signs of progress, but the sum of crashes, errors, and a few team missteps significantly affected his trajectory.
The decision came at the urging of executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who is redefining the team’s future behind the scenes: “After analyzing the first races of the season, we’ve decided to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races,” said Flavio Briatore.
“With such a tightly packed grid and a car that’s become more competitive thanks to the improvements over the past 12 months, we find ourselves needing to rotate our line-up. We know that 2026 will be a crucial year, and having a complete and fair evaluation of the drivers this season is the right choice to maximize our future ambitions.”
“We continue to support Jack, who has always shown great professionalism in his role as a race driver. The next five races will give us the chance to try something different, and at the end of this period, we’ll evaluate our options.”
Jack Doohan will remain with Alpine as the primary reserve driver during Franco Colapinto’s five-race stint. A return to the cockpit isn’t ruled out, though it will be complicated. “I’m very proud to have achieved my dream of becoming a professional Formula 1 driver and will always be grateful to the team for helping me reach it,” said Doohan.
“Of course, it’s hard to accept this new phase, because as a driver, I always want to race. That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals and I’ll keep giving my best to help achieve them. For now, I’ll keep my head down, continue working hard, closely follow the upcoming races, and pursue my personal goals.”
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