The French team has denied putting additional “pressure” on rookie Jack Doohan ahead of his Formula 1 debut. According to some paddock rumors, the 22-year-old Australian is only expected to race for the first quarter of the 2025 season, with Franco Colapinto ready to step in. Team advisor Flavio Briatore did not deny these speculations:
“If a driver doesn’t deliver results, doesn’t progress, he will be replaced. You can’t be emotional in Formula 1,” he told Le Parisien.
An engineer and manager who knows Flavio Briatore well, Joan Villadelprat, said he had already seen such a situation before.
“He knows what he wants – he said on Jorge Lorenzo’s podcast, Duralavita – he looks for young talents and wants them at any cost, as he did with Schumacher. He chose Franco Colapinto because he’s looking for the new Alonso, the new Schumacher.”
Significantly, this week both Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan were together with Flavio Briatore at the Enstone factory. The Italian manager even posted photos on Instagram.
However, Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes stated that some of the speculation about Franco Colapinto and his chances of replacing Doohan in 2025 is exaggerated:
“Some of the things written by the keyboard warriors about Jack were a bit harsh. It’s not about putting pressure on him; it’s more about giving the team options,” Oakes added. “A lot of people rely on a driver to perform every weekend, and we need to make sure we have the best drivers in the seat, not only for now but for the future.”
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