Jack Doohan “will not finish” the F1 2025 championship as he’ll be replaced by Franco Colapinto even before the halfway point, says Robert Doornbos.

Doohan is one of six drivers who will begin their first full season in Formula 1 when he lines up on the Australian Grand Prix grid in Marc having been signed by Alpine as Pierre Gasly’s new team-mate.

Jack Doohan ‘will not finish the season’ claims Doornbos

But unlike his rival newcomers, including Mercedes’ protege Kimi Antonelli, Doohan is under immense pressure to prove from the word go that he’s Alpine’s best option for the second race seat.

Alpine have, after all, already signed another “option” – as team boss Oliver Oakes put it – for the future.

The team confirmed earlier this month that they’d signed last year’s rookie sensation Franco Colapinto as their official reserve driver for the new season.

Alpine executive director Flavio Briatore said at the time: “Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now. It is fair to say his appearance on the Formula One grid last year caught many, me included, by surprise and his performances have been very impressive for a rookie driver.

“We have an eye on our future and his signing means we have a great pool of young drivers to call upon and work with in developing the team for future success.”

F1 2025 loading…

👉 The full F1 2025 schedule

👉 F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is confirmed for the 2025 grid?

That his comments came just days after he refused to guarantee Doohan a full season with Alpine raised eyebrows.

He told Le Parisien: “The only thing we can be sure of is death! We’ll start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee that. After that, we’ll see as the season progresses.

“I have to get the team in the right condition to get results and the driver is the one who has to conclude the work of nearly 1,000 people behind him. Everyone works for just two people.

“If there’s a driver who isn’t making progress, who isn’t bringing me results, I change him. You can’t be emotional in F1.”

There have been various reports, unconfirmed by Alpine, as to the duration of Doohan’s contract and what exactly it states.

But whatever it does say, former F1 driver Doornbos believes Doohan is going into his debut campaign under extreme pressure. Pressure that he reckons will see the 2024 reserve replaced before the end of the championship.

“Because he’s not really coming into Formula 1 in a very relaxed way,” Doornbos’ explained to Motorsport.com.

“At least, getting into Formula 1 is a boy’s dream for everyone – I know all about it – but that also involves contracts. And if you only get a temporary contract, the pressure is on.

“That’s the story now, that there are only six races.

“The favourite is already breathing down your neck, that is Franco Colapinto who will be the reserve driver at Alpine. So I think the pressure is actually becoming too much.”

That the opening race of the season is also Doohan’s home race, the Australian Grand Prix, doesn’t help.

“The opening race is also the home Grand Prix for Jack Doohan,” Doornbos added. “So yes, a difficult one. I think he will not finish the season.”

Colapinto, last year’s super sub as he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams and scored twice in four races before a spate of crashes blotted his copybook, says he’s ready if, or when, Alpine call on him.

“My role within the team will be to help, to help with everything I can, to bring the team back to the top, to improve the car as much as possible and to help with everything I can,” he said during his first day in Enstone.

“I will be very attentive to whatever happens and obviously always ready if I have to get in the car at some point. Doing all the testing, developing the new car, spending a lot of time in the simulator and obviously being ready for anything.”

Read next: Johnny Herbert’s final warning to Max Verstappen days before FIA removal