Jack Doohan is fighting to keep his place in F1 not long after getting his chance in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Alpine has signed the Aussie for the 2025 season alongside Pierre Gasly and was afforded his debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year. However, he is already at risk of losing his seat to Franco Colapinto.
The Argentine will serve as the Enstone-based outfit’s reserve driver after joining from Williams on a multi-year contract. Flavio Briatore is a huge admirer of Colapinto having made an impression in the last nine races of 2024.
It seems like the 21-year-old is being prepared for the future at Alpine – and he could get his chance earlier than he may think. Doohan’s contract is reportedly only for six races, giving him limited time to prove himself.
Some may say the decision has already been made. Journalist Nate Saunders has a ‘hunch’ that Colapinto will replace Doohan before Miami – this would mean the latter has just five races to save his seat.
Guenther Steiner alluded to Doohan being sacked in Miami with a now-deleted social media post. The former Haas boss wished the four new full-time rookies (Doohan, Hadjar, Bortoleto and Lawson) good luck for the season – and Colapinto as well.
Oliver Oakes refused to set Jack Doohan a target of how he compares to Pierre Gasly in Bahrain testing
Doohan recently completed pre-season testing in Bahrain in the A525, enjoying a successful three days with multiple laps and great reliability.
The Aussie will take confidence from the test heading into his home Grand Prix in Australia in two weeks. Doohan has been told to match Gasly in 2025 to keep his seat, which will be no easy feat given the Frenchman’s experience and he was one of the in-form drivers come the end of 2024.
But Alpine boss Oliver Oakes refused to set targets for Doohan in terms of how he compares to his teammate. Journalist Chris Medland says he wants to give the 22-year-old ‘space to settle’, but stresses the team are in a ‘strong position’ with their reserve drivers.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad
“Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has been speaking as the test enters its final stages, and appears relatively encouraged by the car performance so far,” wrote Medland via BBC Sport.
“The target is for the team to pick up where they left off last year, finishing strongly to secure sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
“Naturally, there were a lot of questions about Jack Doohan’s future, after the signing of Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver last month.
“Oakes wants Doohan to be given space to settle in at the start of his rookie season, and wouldn’t set a target in terms of how he compares to Pierre Gasly, but says having quality reserve options does put the team in a strong position this year.”
Alpine facing potential power unit concerns compared to F1 rivals
Alpine will be looking to take a further step forward in 2025 after a great recovery from a terrible start to 2024. Scoring just 14 points in the first 20 races, Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s double podium in Sao Paulo propelled the team to sixth in the constructors’ championship.
The Enstone-based outfit will hope to fight at the front of the midfield with the likes of Williams and Aston Martin this season.
However, there are some concerns regarding their power unit. Alpine fear their Renault engine is the least powerful and also unreliable heading into 2025 – the team will part ways with Renault in 2026 and become a Mercedes customer team.
This will not be what Doohan wants to hear – he will want the most competitive car possible to give him the best chance of keeping his seat.
It seems also inevitable that Colapinto will be in the Alpine at some point, but the Argentine is not guaranteed safety either. Juan Pablo Montoya stresses Colapinto could be dropped like Doohan could be if he fails to perform.
Leave feedback about this