Alpine have replaced Jack Doohan after his underwhelming start to the season, with Franco Colapinto taking over his drive from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.
It is a move the Enstone natives had long been expected to make after Alpine paid Williams £8.5m to sign Colapinto in January to join as a reserve driver. The Argentine’s arrival ensured Doohan faced an uphill task to see out his rookie season as Flavio Briatore adores Colapinto.
Executive adviser Briatore, who has also now taken on the role of team principal after Oliver Oakes resigned from Alpine with immediate effect on Tuesday, was the driving force behind Colapinto’s move to Enstone. Oakes, on the other hand, was one of Doohan’s key advocates.
Oakes quit Alpine due to personal reasons unrelated to Doohan being replaced ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola where Colapinto will partner Pierre Gasly. Briatore dropped the axe after Doohan, who holds a reserve driver role again, failed to score a point in six rounds.
Juan Pablo Montoya disagrees with Mick Doohan that the press wanted to ‘expel’ Jack Doohan from Alpine and F1
Doohan’s retirement on the first lap of the Miami Grand Prix proved to be the final nail in the Gold Coast native’s coffin at Alpine. The 22-year-old and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson collided at Turn 1, ensuring Doohan could not see a chequered flag for the second time this season.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan? All to know from girlfriend to dad
But while his results did not meet the team’s expectations and Doohan cost Alpine more in repairs than any driver in 2025, his father Mick Doohan told Juan Pablo Montoya in Miami that the MotoGP legend felt it was the press who wanted to ‘expel’ the Australian from F1.
Reports hung over the Alpine product’s head even before Briatore acquired Colapinto, with claims in November even before his F1 debut that Doohan only had a five-race contract for Alpine. But Montoya disagrees with Mick suggesting it was the press who wanted Jack out.
Montoya told AS about his chat with Mick Doohan in Miami before Alpine replaced Jack: “I spoke with him and his comment was that, ‘You, the press, are trying to expel my son’. On the contrary, I am of the idea of giving people the opportunity and that they be fair.”
How Alpine replaced Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto ‘doesn’t make sense’ for Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya certainly does not think Alpine were ‘fair’ to Doohan given Colapinto has replaced him after only the first six rounds of the 2025 F1 season, plus his debut at the 2024 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Doohan’s best finish was only 13th in the Chinese Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know
But the ex-Williams and McLaren driver also has questions for Doohan as his demotion into a reserve role now sparks Montoya’s curiosity about whether he did only have a short-term contract. If so, Montoya cannot understand why Doohan agreed to sign for Alpine for 2025.
Montoya continued: “It seems really bad to me if the team decides, ‘Hey, this is the person for the year. He’s here for the year’. Unless his contract really was for five races. But why are you going to sign a contract for five races? It doesn’t make sense.”
Doohan’s seven Grands Prix in total for Alpine could now prove to be the only appearances he makes for the Enstone outfit, as well. While Alpine have only confirmed Colapinto has a contract for the next five rounds, hardly anyone at Alpine expects Doohan will return to F1.
