Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore has refused to rule out dropping Jack Doohan during the F1 2025 season, warning that he won’t hesitate to make a “change” if the rookie doesn’t deliver.

Following Esteban Ocon’s switch to Haas, Alpine confirmed Doohan as Pierre Gasly’s new team-mate for the F1 2025 season at the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

Flavio Briatore open to mid-season ‘change’ with Jack Doohan at risk

It came just four days before Franco Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams for the final nine races of F1 2024, with the Argentine attracting interest from Alpine in light of a number of impressive performances.

Reports at the time claimed Briatore had made it his mission to sign Colapinto, with the pair spotted in conversation in the paddock – along with Colapinto’s manager, Maria Catarineu of Bullet Sports Management – by PlanetF1.com at the penultimate race of the season in Qatar.

Wild rumours even suggested that Alpine were prepared to make a late adjustment to their driver lineup for F1 2025 in a scenario that would have seen Colapinto step in to replace Doohan.

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However, Colapinto’s poor end to the year saw Alpine’s immediate interest cool, with Doohan making his F1 debut at the season finale in Abu Dhabi after Ocon was released early from his contract in order to drive for Haas in the post-season test.

Briatore recently hinted that Alpine are likely to relaunch efforts to sign Colapinto for the F1 2026 season, telling Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport: “I’m interested in any driver who is fast.

“If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it.”

And in a fresh update, Briatore has insisted that Doohan will start the F1 2025 season as an Alpine driver – but warned that he will not be afraid to make a change if he “isn’t making progress.”

Asked if Gasly and Doohan will both start the the season in Australia in March, 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.”

Briatore went on to admit that he has been “enormously surprised” by Gasly, who went through the entire F1 2024 season without a major accident and whose strong end to the season – including a third-place finish in Brazil – helped Alpine salvage sixth place in the Constructors’ standings.

He said: “Pierre has done an extraordinary job. He has surprised me enormously this year. He really is ‘our’ driver.

“I really want to thank him. His attitude has changed completely this season. He’s never had an accident. If we’ve managed to finish sixth, it’s thanks to him.

“I’m sure that Pierre will continue his great work and that Jack Doohan will be up to the challenge.”

Following his return to the paddock in June, Briatore has shown a determination to help Alpine re-emerge as a major F1 force, appointing Oliver Oakes as team principal and taking the controversial decision to repurpose parent company Renault’s long-standing F1 engine division in Viry-Chatillon.

With Alpine switching to Mercedes power units from F1 2026, Briatore is convinced that the team will return to winning ways two decades after he oversaw the team’s most recent title triumph with Fernando Alonso.

He added: “I have no doubt that we’ll get results. Zero doubt.

“We have everything we need to succeed: the support of the Renault group, the engine, motivated employees..

“I know enough about F1 to recognise a team that will work.”

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