James Vowles was reluctant to let Franco Colapinto leave Williams. But as he did not have a seat for him, a decision had to be made.
Williams have Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz tied down to contracts at least until 2026, meaning that Colapinto’s impressive performances in the final nine races of 2024 would not be enough to land a full-time seat at the Grove-based outfit.
Subsequently, the Argentine has moved to Alpine as their reserve driver on a multi-year deal. He joins Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa on the sidelines behind full-time drivers Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan.
Flavio Briatore was a keen admirer of Colapinto from when he made his debut at Monza last year. Colapinto told Briatore he was raring to go as the two met at the factory at Enstone to begin pre-season.
Rumours have been circling around that Colapinto could be back in a full-time seat sooner than expected. Despite having only made one appearance at the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year, Doohan is already at risk of losing his seat.
Doohan’s contract is said to be only for six races, giving him limited time to prove himself. If he is unable to deliver, Colapinto will be waiting to pounce at the opportunity.
James Vowles tells Alpine to give Jack Doohan time but replace him with Franco Colapinto if he struggles
The Argentine has more race experience than the Aussie and his long-term contract speaks volumes in terms of what Alpine plan to do with Colapinto. Furthermore, the 21-year-old’s commercial value means F1’s bosses would not be disappointed if Doohan lost his seat.
Many key figures have offered their verdicts on the situation at Alpine. Valtteri Bottas is backing Doohan to succeed at Alpine despite the uncertainty surrounding his furthermore.
Likewise, David Croft made the case to keep Doohan over Colapinto as the Aussie may be the team’s ‘best option’ right now. Speaking on the red carpet at the Autosport awards, Vowles agreed that Doohan needed time but that Colapinto is ‘ready to step straight in’ if he cannot perform.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto? Everything to know
“I think both. I think Jack should be given the time to prove himself, simple as that. I think every driver should be given that opportunity”, he said.
“If, and it’s an if, he’s not the right level, Franco is there. That’s what I mean by it. It is, look at the grid, that is the best opportunity for Franco and my job in this is making sure he is in the best situation possible,
“We have a great driver line-up for at least the next two years, so it won’t be with us. And it won’t be up and down the grid if you look at it for the most part, so it’s his best chance”.
“I think he’s ready to step straight in. That’s an Alpine decision, but Franco as he left me, he fired up”.
How Jack Doohan can save his seat at Alpine
Without question, Doohan is the most vulnerable driver on the 2025 grid. His supposed short-term contract and Alpine’s magnitude of reserve drivers only hint at the 21-year-old’s exit from the sport.
But Alpine have reiterated they are backing Doohan despite the speculation as they plan to run him alongside Gasly at the season opener in Melbourne – his home race.
The Aussie will be under pressure from the off to deliver. Alpine boss Oliver Oakes says Fernando Alonso is Doohan’s ‘reference’ for 2025, as well as the other five new full-time drivers.
Doohan has been told to match Gasly in 2025 to save his seat. The Frenchman has been established at the team since 2022 and finished in the top 10 of the drivers’ championship last year, giving the Aussie tough competition to beat at Alpine this season.
