Jack Doohan will be extremely worried by Franco Colapinto’s latest Alpine admission amid exit rumours

Rumours have grown stronger and stronger that Jack Doohan could be replaced by Franco Colapinto imminently at Alpine.

The Argentine was signed by Flavio Briatore over the winter after impressing at Williams in 2024. After scoring five points in nine races, Colapinto had several suitors for 2025, with Alpine snapping him up as a reserve driver on a multi-year deal.

Since then, the 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a full-time seat as Doohan faces increased pressure to stay in F1. Despite only racing in four Grand Prix thus far, the 22-year-old’s start to the 2025 campaign has prompted further conversation about his future.

Doohan crashed on lap one of his home race in Melbourne and added four penalty points to his superlicense over the weekend in Shanghai. At the Japanese Grand Prix, the Aussie crashed heavily in FP2 and was still feeling the aftereffects on Sunday as he struggled to get out of his car in parc ferme.

Alpine are the only team yet to score points in 2025, with Doohan’s crashes proving quite costly for the Enstone-based outfit. Jacques Villeneuve warned Doohan about his mistakes as he felt the 22-year-old was struggling to cope with the pressure from Colapinto.

The Argentine is waiting for his chance to step into the A525, with journalist Nate Saunders stating Colapinto could replace Doohan by the Miami GP. Amid the speculation, the latter will be extremely worried by the former’s latest admission.

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Franco Colapinto is ‘very bored’ as Alpine reserve driver – he is itching to replace Jack Doohan

Naturally, being a reserve driver is not the most exciting job in the world, with simulator work and events with sponsors being the main bulk of Colapinto’s duties at Alpine.

Of course, the Argentine is itching to get back to racing, and speaking via the Nude Project, the 21-year-old admitted he is ‘very bored’ on the sidelines. After another disappointing weekend at Suzuka, Doohan will be watching over his shoulders as Colapinto is ready to replace him.

“The truth is, I’m supporting the team as much as I can and I’m trying to help the team with the experience that I have, to get the best result possible,” said Colapinto.

“In other words, to improve the car, to get points again and obviously, be prepared in case something happens because I’m the driver who comes after those who are now.

“I’m calm because obviously I have a contract for the future that is better than nothing. There is a lot to work on and do this year. I’m ready in case something happens but I’m very bored too.

“I went to Australia, 20 or some hours of flight, then I went to China, 11 hours of flight and I was listening to the radio, it’s not a good time.

“It gives you a little bit of impotence, like not being able to fight for your seat because you’re there, you don’t have anything that… you can’t fight for what you want a little bit because you’re back there.”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto? Everything to know

Could Alpine make the Doohan-Colapinto swap for the Bahrain Grand Prix?

There have been rumours suggesting that Alpine could decide on a driver swap before the next race in Bahrain. F1 Oversteer reported that Doohan felt Japan was his last race for the team, with his F1 future in severe jeopardy.

Alpine are set to stage a race between their reserve drivers at Magny-Cours as part of a TPC test (Testing of Previous Cars). The winner is believed to get the seat, with Colapinto being the overwhelming favourite.

Colapinto outshone Paul Aron in private testing at Monza, going half a second quicker in the qualifying runs and even faster over the long runs.

Ralf Schumacher says Doohan’s place in Bahrain is not guaranteed after failing to score points in the opening three races. Colapinto could find himself in the A525 come the next race in Sakhir, which would likely spell the end of Doohan’s F1 career.