The Formula 1 driver’s market is one of the most intriguing side plots every year and last season didn’t disappoint.
The 2025 grid looks very different compared to last year with only two teams sticking with both of their drivers from the previous campaign.
Aston Martin have stuck with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, while McLaren don’t want to break up a winning formula by extending Lando Norris’ and Oscar Piastri’s contracts.
However, the rest of the paddock has a very different feel, with Lewis Hamilton racing for Ferrari by far the most striking change.
One team who are attracting plenty of attention when it comes to their drivers is Alpine.
Alpine have stuck with Pierre Gasly after a stunning end to the season where he scored points in four of the last five races including a podium finish in Sao Paulo.
Esteban Ocon announced his exit from Alpine halfway through the season to join Haas, opening up a seat that’s been filled by Jack Doohan.
Doohan made his debut during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, but since then he’s witnessed Alpine make a flurry of driver signings over the winter.
Franco Colapinto, Ryo Hirakawa and Paul Aron have all been brought in by Alpine and are preparing to put the pressure on Doohan.
Guenther Steiner may have just given an unfortunate hint as to when Formula 1 expects the young Argentine to potentially replace Doohan this year.
Guenther Steiner’s social media post suggests F1 are preparing for Franco Colapinto return
There’s a suggestion that Doohan’s F1 contract only runs for a few races initially which would allow Alpine to make a driver change if they would like to midway through the season.
Steiner is an ambassador for the Miami Grand Prix and on Tuesday evening, he posted on his Instagram story ahead of pre-season testing starting in Bahrain.
He shared a video wishing each of the rookies on the grid good luck before the beginning of their first campaigns in the sport in their native languages.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto? Everything to know
After sending messages to Gabriel Bortoleto in Portuguese, Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Italian, Isack Hadjar in French and Doohan with some Australian slang, the last message was in Spanish to Colapinto.
Steiner later deleted the post, but it highlights that organisers of the Miami Grand Prix are preparing for Colapinto to have potentially already replaced Doohan by the sixth race of the year.
Journalist Nate Saunders has a hunch that Colapinto will replace Doohan before Miami.
However, it feels very unfair that all of these things are being spoken about – and prepared – before the Australian has even had a chance to race in 2025.
Jack Doohan under pressure from more drivers than just Franco Colapinto at Alpine
Colapinto is more experienced than Doohan after his late cameo at Williams last year and proved to not only be fast but extremely popular.
Alpine will be hoping to benefit from that popularity with his ability to attract sponsors to the team and if Doohan doesn’t perform, he’s already proven that he can score points in a midfield car too.
However, the Argentine isn’t the only driver in Alpine’s rank who will be keeping a close eye on Doohan’s progress.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad
Hirakawa has been told he has a chance of earning a 2026 F1 seat, despite his lack of Formula 1 experience.
Alpine insiders think Aron is their quickest reserve driver but whether he’s ever given an opportunity to yet to be seen.
The Anglo-French team might even look further into their academy, with Gabriele Mini and Victor Martins both expected to challenge for the Formula 2 title this year.
Doohan will be desperate to quieten down the noise around his race seat and put in a top performance at his home race in Australia in a few weeks.
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