Jack Doohan has made a surprise appearance in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix paddock after losing his Alpine race seat to Franco Colapinto.

Doohan was dropped by Alpine after the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month having failed to score a point across the first six races of the F1 2025 season, with Colapinto stepping up as Pierre Gasly’s new team-mate.

Jack Doohan returns to F1 paddock after Franco Colapinto swap

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

Colapinto has been signed to an initial five-race deal, with his position set to be reviewed ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in early July.

In the statement confirming the driver swap, Alpine announced that Doohan ‘remains an integral part of the team and will be the first-choice reserve driver’ during Colapinto’s stint in the second seat.

Doohan has been spotted in the Imola paddock with Alpine at the Emilia Romagna GP on Saturday as he fulfils his new role as reserve driver.

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PlanetF1.com understands that Doohan arrived at Imola on Saturday morning after supporting Alpine’s efforts from the team’s simulator at Enstone on Friday.

The Australian posted an image of himself in the simulator to Instagram’s story function, which allows images and clips to be seen for a maximum of 24 hours.

Doohan is expected to perform standard reserve driver duties from trackside at Imola, observing and supporting the team and contributing where appropriate.

In a statement after his demotion was confirmed, Doohan spoke of his willingness to help Alpine achieve their “long-term goals” despite the blow of losing his race drive.

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He said: “I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream.

“Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing.

“That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment.

“We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those.

“For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.”

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