How Oliver Bearman helped cost Jack Doohan his Alpine seat with Franco Colapinto swap imminent

Alpine are expected to replace Jack Doohan with reserve driver Franco Colapinto after the Australian rookie retired in the Miami Grand Prix to, again, remain without a point.

The Enstone crew have spent all year fielding speculation that Doohan would not see out his first season as a full-time F1 driver. Now, the axe is ready to swing, with Colapinto set to take over from the 22-year-old at Alpine at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in two weeks.

Doohan retiring on the first lap of the Miami GP is believed to be the final nail in his coffin at Alpine, just six rounds into the 2025 F1 season. His first corner contact with Racing Bulls ace Liam Lawson left the Gold Coast native with a front-left puncture, and forced him to park up.

Oliver Bearman’s rookie results helped convince Alpine chief Flavio Briatore to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto

Doohan was not entirely to blame for his contact with Lawson after being pinched on the T1 kerb as the Racing Bulls talent also attempted to overtake fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber. But the Alpine ace also shouldered some of the blame due to his cautious approach.

Now, it is likely to cost the Australian his seat on the grid with The Race reporting that Alpine intend to replace Doohan with Colapinto ahead of the first European race of 2025. Executive adviser Flavio Briatore has driven the decision despite some disagreements within the team.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad

A raft of factors have triggered Alpine’s decision to replace Doohan with Colapinto, including his inability to turn some promising signs of speed into results and how he has reacted to his setbacks. The results that other rookies have enjoyed have also helped to convince Briatore.

Briatore does not think Doohan has ‘it’ with Oliver Bearman impressing with Haas and Isack Hadjar for Racing Bulls. Bearman’s three cameos for Ferrari and Haas last season especially cast a shadow over Doohan’s displays as one of four drivers without a point after six rounds.

Franco Colapinto is set to replace Jack Doohan after a crash-strewn start to the 2025 F1 season

Bearman became the youngest-ever Ferrari driver with his debut at short notice at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Yet the Briton only missed out on a Q3 spot by 0.036 seconds and he finished the race in seventh place despite the threat of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

The 19-year-old also deputised twice for Kevin Magnussen at Haas last season and he took points at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in P10. Bearman’s potential has also carried on this term, with the now full-time Haas driver earning six points after three top-10 Grand Prix finishes.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto? Everything to know

In contrast, Doohan crashed out on the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix and he merited four penalty points due to incidents in the Shanghai Sprint plus Chinese Grand Prix. Doohan cost Alpine over £1.3m with his FP2 crash in Japan, as well, after failing to close his DRS flap.

Alpine also shouldered some of the responsibility in Suzuka as Doohan simply copied his line used on their simulator. But the axe is set to swing, as Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo is a big Colapinto fan and he even shares Briatore’s desire to replace Doohan with the Argentine.