Forgotten driver will suffer even more than Jack Doohan after Alpine’s ‘brutal’ Franco Colapinto move

Since Alpine announced the signing of Franco Colapinto on Thursday evening, much of the focus has been on Jack Doohan. Clearly, his Formula 1 seat is at risk.

It was only last summer that Alpine promoted Doohan from his reserve driver role to partner Pierre Gasly. He was their chosen replacement for Esteban Ocon, who will race for Haas this year.

Alpine insist Doohan is their man, regardless of their move for Colapinto. But reports in recent months have pointed to growing internal doubts.

Indeed, one claimed that Doohan only has a six-race contract for 2025. While it’s normal for a rookie to be given a short-term deal, they would ordinarily have at least a full season to prove themselves.

If the Australian struggles, then Flavio Briatore will have the option to call up Colapinto at a moment’s notice. One would imagine that the 21-year-old is optimistic of joining the grid mid-season, just as he did in 2024.

On paper, Colapinto, who was set to support Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz at Williams, has made a sideways move. But Doohan’s vulnerability may explain his thinking.

Alex Brundle feels sorry for Paul Aron after Alpine sign Franco Colapinto

Alpine had already signed two backup options before Colapinto’s arrival. Earlier on Thursday, they welcomed the Toyota-linked Ryo Hirakawa.

At 30, Hirakawa’s F1 window has almost certainly closed. But Paul Aron, his colleague at Enstone, is 10 years younger.

Aron looked like an alternative to Doohan when he joined in November. He finished an impressive third in the F2 standings behind F1 graduates Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar.

Doohan’s role won’t change, for the first quarter of the season at least, following Colapinto’s arrival. But Aron is the forgotten victim in all of this, with the Argentine clearly bumping him down the pecking order.

It remains to be seen what impact this has on his allocated mileage. But it’s certainly another serious blow to his F1 chances after Mercedes let him go.

Briatore suggested that Mercedes’ loss was Alpine’s gain when he signed Aron. As F2 commentator Alex Brundle notes, though, Thursday’s news is a ‘brutal’ comedown.

“Happy for Franco,” he wrote on his Instagram story. “Implications on Paul Aron’s side show that the base of F1 is a brutal place.”

Sergio Perez’s accidental role in Franco Colapinto’s move to Alpine

Alpine promised Williams they’d look after Colapinto after he sealed the move. He will bring benefits beyond his on-track talents.

The youngster is tied to numerous sponsors in his homeland after a remarkable rise. For a team who have just reduced costs by scrapping their F1 engine division, this is surely key.

Red Bull weren’t able to afford Colapinto’s Williams buyout because of Sergio Perez’s severance fees. Perhaps they would have swooped during the autumn if that hadn’t been a looming consideration.