Jack Doohan issues defiant three-word message on social media after Franco Colapinto took Alpine seat

Jack Doohan has returned to a reserve role at Alpine less than two months after his Formula 1 debut. Franco Colapinto will now partner Pierre Gasly.

Colapinto’s deal initially runs for just five races. Doohan was reportedly on a similar contract after replacing Esteban Ocon.

Alpine will evaluate the Argentine ahead of the British GP in July, but the prospects of Doohan returning if he underperforms are unclear. They also have former Mercedes talent Paul Aron on their books.

Martin Brundle says Alpine should have given Doohan until the summer break, but as it is, he had very little time to show his talent. The extreme pressure of his unique situation may have prevented him from consistently displaying his best form, too.

As a result, he may not have done enough to catch the eye of other teams. There has been some talk that Cadillac could offer Doohan refuge, but that would be a risk for the new entrants.

Jack Doohan’s message to his trainer suggests he’s not done in F1

Doohan was quoted in Alpine’s press release confirming the driver swap on Wednesday. But a day later, he made his first social media post since the announcement.

The Australian was wishing a happy birthday to Sergi Bou Garcia, his trainer at Alpine. And he ended the message with a defiant three-word vow.

“Happy birthday to my brother,” he wrote. “The best there is. We’ll be back.”

Doohan wouldn’t be the first driver on the current grid to recover from being axed. Esteban Ocon lost his seat at Racing Point at the end of 2018 but returned with Alpine’s forerunners Renault after one season away.

Alex Albon also relaunched his career at Williams after being dropped by Red Bull. And Nico Hulkenberg is now in his third spell in the sport.

How Alpine staff privately rate Jack Doohan’s return chances after Franco Colapinto hire

Doohan’s father Mick shared a divisive post on his story, comparing the results of the two Alpine drivers in 2025. He clearly felt he was close enough to Pierre Gasly to deserve more time.

Regardless, Franco Colapinto only needs to ‘do okay’ to keep his seat beyond the five-race deadline, according to one reporter. Doohan will be required to offer support just as he did last season.

Colapinto brings significant money to Alpine through his Argentine sponsors. There was little Doohan could do if those commercial incentives were a decisive factor.

‘Behind the scenes’, ‘hardly anyone’ at Alpine thinks Doohan will return. It may be that he has to continue his career in another discipline.