Jack Doohan is at huge risk of losing his Formula 1 seat – despite only just arriving at Alpine for the 2025 season.
The Aussie made his F1 debut at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi – qualifying last and finishing 15th. Doohan will race full-time in 2025 alongside Pierre Gasly at Alpine.
However, his future in the sport is already uncertain with Doohan reportedly signing a six-race contract. The Enstone-based outfit have recruited heavily for 2025, signing Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Franco Colapinto as reserve drivers.
Flavio Briatore – who is overseeing the operation at Alpine as executive advisor – signed Colapinto from Williams on a five-year deal. The Argentine is being tipped to replace Doohan even before the halfway point of 2025.
Karun Chandhok says Doohan is under ‘immediate pressure’ to perform this season as he has Colapinto on the sidelines waiting for his opportunity. Briatore is a keen admirer of the 21-year-old – and early signs suggest the Aussie will be axed.
Briatore saw Colapinto outpace Doohan by three-tenths in the Abu Dhabi GP on the same tyre strategy – despite the former carrying damage from a collision with Oscar Piastri and retiring on lap 26.
Jack Doohan beat George Russell in Pirelli tyre test at Jerez
Doohan has been carrying out extensive testing in Le Castellet and Barcelona ahead of 2025 through TPC sessions (Testing of Previous Cars).
Briatore did not post about Doohan on social media about his outing in Barcelona but did share images of Colapinto – another telling sign about what Alpine plan to do with their driver line-up.
Doohan recently conducted a Pirelli tyre test at Jerez on the 2026 rubber. Mercedes also took part in logging data for F1’s tyre supplier ahead of the new era of regulations.
In a report from AutoRacer, Alpine’s 2025 signing and George Russell took to the track on Thursday – the final day of the two-day test. Doohan drove the 2023 Alpine A523 while three-time race winner Russell drove a ‘rigorously modified’ W15 to be ‘suitable’ for the 2026 tyres.
Doohan completed 113 laps to Russell’s 135. The lap times revealed that the former set the faster time, coming in seven-tenths quicker than the Mercedes with a 1:17:255 for Doohan and 1:17:976 for Russell.
Of course, this is ‘not very representative’ as it is a tyre test and both drivers would have likely been using different set ups. But it is no doubt a boost for Doohan amid the uncertainty surrounding his future in F1.
What F1 are saying about Jack Doohan’s future in the sport
Doohan is now in the same boat as Daniel Ricciardo was in 2024 – the fellow Aussie came under huge pressure to keep his seat at Racing Bulls last year, eventually being replaced by Liam Lawson.
The 22-year-old is doing everything in his power to stay in F1. Doohan impressed Alpinw with his work behind the scenes in testing.
But with Colapinto’s arrival, it seems to be going only one way for the Aussie. The F1 paddock are expecting Alpine to sack Doohan and promote Colapinto.
Colapinto’s ‘transcendent’ performance in Barcelona testing will do no favours for Doohan, who will have to perform straight away in F1 to keep his career alive.
Juan Pablo Montoya thinks F1 are pushing Alpine to drop Doohan in favour of Colapinto. The Argentine brings significant commercial value through sponsors and support in South America.
