Alpine made one brutal Jack Doohan paddock decision in Imola to try and help Franco Colapinto’s return to F1

Jack Doohan was back on the sidelines at Alpine as Franco Colapinto replaced him for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

F1’s worst-kept secret of 2025 was made official after the Miami GP. Rumours had been speculating that Doohan would lose his seat at Alpine before he made his debut last season in Abu Dhabi.

Colapinto’s arrival from Williams on a long-term contract put the Aussie under pressure to perform, which he arguably could not cope with. While his pace to teammate Pierre Gasly was decent, heavy crashes in Melbourne and Suzuka proved costly as he could not string together a strong weekend.

Doohan failed to score points in the opening six races, prompting a disagreement between Flavio Briatore and Oliver Oakes about the 22-year-old. The former, who played a key role in signing Colapinto, was pushing for a driver change.

Oakes’ resignation as Alpine team principal proved telling, as the Aussie was demoted back to a reserve role hours later. The two exits are not related, according to the team, but it was well-known that Colapinto would replace Doohan at some point.

The Argentine has been given a five-race deal to prove himself, with Alpine set to reassess their driver pool at Silverstone. The Enstone outfit want Colapinto to be fully focused on the task at hand, leading them to take drastic measures in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix paddock.

Alpine kept Jack Doohan and his entourage away from their Imola hospitality to help Franco Colapinto

Doohan was defiant on social media after Alpine dropped him, telling his trainer that they will be ‘back’. But F1 fans suspect Doohan is finding it difficult after he posted a ‘depressing’ picture of him in the simulator, likely doing some data gathering for Gasly and Colapinto.

Morale is likely low within the Doohan camp after losing his seat so soon into the 2025 season. Things were not made easier when he arrived in the paddock at Imola on Saturday.

According to photographer Kym Illman, the Aussie and his entourage were kept in the F1 motorhome, rather than Alpine’s. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he says the decision was made to help Colapinto focus on his F1 return.

“Of course, the man he replaced is Jack Doohan, and Jack had spent a good amount of time at the simulator in Enstone, doing some work for the race day on Sunday.

“He rolled up to Imola on Saturday and bizarrely wasn’t in the Alpine hospitality suite. Instead, he and his entourage were hold up in the F1 motorhome, which is right next door.

“Why? Well, it was all designed to help Franco focus on the job at hand.”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

Franco Colapinto’s crash at Imola is exactly what Alpine staff feared about him

Keeping Doohan out of the hospitality was not enough to prevent his replacement from feeling the pressure at Imola. Colapinto crashed in qualifying after the first chicane, lining his Alpine up in P15 for the race.

The Argentine finished the race 16th in what was a disappointing return to the grid. Briatore says we must be patient with Colapinto, which is the exact opposite of how Doohan was treated in the opening six races.

Colapinto must stop having expensive crashes if he wants to stay beyond his five-race deal. The 21-year-old racked up a huge damage bill at Williams last season, prompting concerns from Alpine staff about signing him.

Some within Alpine were not keen on Colapinto; his accident in qualifying at Imola was exactly what they feared. He has to tidy up his act, as the Enstone outfit have indicated that his seat is not safe.

Colapinto ‘knows’ Flavio Briatore has Paul Aron lined up to replace him if he cannot deliver the results. The Argentine cannot afford to put his A525 in the barriers in the next four races.