Franco Colapinto is having his debut for Alpine at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after replacing Jack Doohan, but his weekend hit a bump with a crash in qualifying at Imola.
The 21-year-old has taken over the A525 that Doohan raced during the first six rounds of the 2025 F1 season as Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore lost patience with the Australian’s progress. The 22-year-old failed to score a single point or finish higher than his P13 in China.
But Alpine only confirmed Colapinto for five rounds, with Briatore to oversee another driver line-up review before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Colapinto has even got his Alpine career off to the worst start he could have imagined during qualifying at Imola this Saturday.
While Colapinto advanced from Q1 at the Emilia Romagna GP, the Argentine would not take part in Q2 after crashing at the end of the first stage of qualifying at Imola. The Buenos Aires native dipped the left-hand side of his car in the grass exiting Turn 2 and spun into the wall.
Alpine fans beg Flavio Briatore to bring Jack Doohan back after Franco Colapinto’s qualifying crash at Imola
Colapinto had also already been noted by the stewards for leaving Alpine’s garage before Q1 was set to resume, which will likely see Doohan’s heir take a grid penalty. Mercedes’ George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli got a one-place grid penalty in Bahrain for the same issue.
But the fact that Colapinto also crashed in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna GP while trying to improve his 1:16.256 lap time that was good enough for P14 saw many Alpine fans scurry to the team’s X account to tell Briatore he should put Doohan back in the A525 for Monaco.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know
One fan replied to Alpine’s X post to say: “Colapinto [gets] a grid penalty and Q1 crash in his first weekend? Bring back Doohan!” It was a stance widely held by fans of the Enstone crew, with others adding, “Bring back Jack”, and some also pleading, “Please bring Doohan back!”
Such is the desperation that some fans had to have the Australian return after watching his replacement for the next five rounds crash, one fan begged: “Get Doohan back in the car!” Another fan even suggested that Colapinto’s crash in qualifying was, “Justice for Doohan!”
An Alpine fan even replied to the team’s post about Colapinto’s crash: “Bring Doohan back, this guy is a clown!” Another fan also suggested that “Jack Doohan would never” crash like Colapinto at Imola, and one fan also questioned if the Argentine is: “Better than Doohan?”
Alpine do not think Jack Doohan will return to F1, even if Franco Colapinto flops
But the wishes of the many Alpine fans who have begged Briatore to bring Doohan back are likely to fall on deaf ears, even if Colapinto continues to crash like in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola in his five-round run. It is possible that Doohan’s F1 career is finished.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan? All to know from girlfriend to dad
Hardly anyone at Alpine expects Doohan will return to F1 after Briatore’s decision to demote the Australian back to the reserve driver role he held during 2024 and to promote Colapinto. Additionally, Colapinto knows Briatore will promote Alpine reserve Paul Aron if he also flops.
So, while fans may want the Gold Coast native back on the grid, Alpine are only likely to rely on his technical feedback to help find set-ups for Colapinto and Pierre Gasly on the Renault-owned outfit’s simulator, with Doohan likely held to a reserve role even with his heir’s woes.
