Juan Pablo Montoya believes “Formula 1 in the background” is “helping” Franco Colapinto secure the Alpine race seat ahead of Jack Doohan.

Even before the first race of the F1 2025 championship, Doohan is reportedly under pressure to hold onto his Alpine race seat with Colapinto waiting in the wings.

Is the Alpine driver decision already a done deal?

Alpine announced late August last year that reserve driver Doohan would be promoted to a race seat for the 2025 season, the Australian replacing the Haas-bound Esteban Ocon.

A week later Colapinto made his Formula 1 debut for Williams at the Italian Grand Prix as he was the surprise call-up when the team decided to part ways with the beleaguered Logan Sargeant.

Despite having only completed 141km in a Formula 1 car prior to his debut weekend, Colapinto finished an impressive 12th and would go on to score five points in his nine races.

Such were his performance, he not only caught the attention of Red Bull, with rumours suggesting it was the senior team that could be interested in signing him, but also Alpine.

The team’s executive director Flavio Briatore was spotted by PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher speaking with Colapinto and his manager, Maria Catarineu of Bullet Sports Management, in the Qatar paddock.

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Six weeks later, Alpine confirmed Colapinto had joined the team as their official reserve driver, that coming days after a warning from Briatore that Doohan wasn’t guaranteed a full-season in the A525.

“The only thing we can be sure of is death!” the Italian told Le Parisien. “We’ll start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee that. After that, we’ll see as the season progresses.

“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.”

Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes tried to calm the speculation that Doohan’s races were numbered, insisting to the James Allen on F1 podcast that the Australian driver will get a “fair crack at it”.

But if you ask former F1 driver Montoya, Colapinto replacing Doohan is already a done deal with even “Formula 1 in the background” in the background pushing for it.

“The difficult thing about Doohan is that from the outside it seems like the decision has already been taken,” Montoya told AS Colombia. “I think it will happen.

“I think Formula 1 saw how important [Colapinto’s popularity] is and Formula 1 in the background is already helping for that to happen.

“That is super interesting! We were talking about the opportunities at Alpine, the drivers in the academy, the drivers in F2, in F3, very good drivers!

“Franco was at Williams, in the Williams academy and suddenly has a chance to race now. Now, none of those drivers in F2 will get the seat, it will be Franco.”

Doohan, who will be in the car when the season begins with the Australian Grand Prix in March, is determined to stamp his authority and keep Colapinto out of his seat.

“I’m very motivated,” he told Sky F1. “I look forward, to be honest, just to getting on track and doing the work with my hands and my feet and steering that car as best as I can.

“Been watching these guys ever since I was a little boy, especially Lewis [Hamilton]. To be coming in to be one of the 20 drivers on the grid, it’s super special.

“I look forward to just cementing my place here for the future.”

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