Jack Doohan is under immense pressure from Franco Colapinto to keep his seat at Alpine in 2025.
The Enstone-based outfit signed the Aussie to partner with Pierre Gasly this season. Doohan was afforded his debut early at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Alpine released Esteban Ocon from his contract.
Being a rookie in F1 will present its own challenges and pressure for the 22-year-old. But even before pre-season testing in Bahrain, speculation has grown that Doohan could soon be out of F1.
Alpine have been extremely active in the driver market in 2025, signing Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Franco Colapinto as reserve drivers.
Flavio Briatore was impressed by Colapinto during his time at Williams last season. The Argentine is being heavily tipped to replace Doohan given his multi-year contract and the hefty fee the Enstone-based team had to pay for his services.
Doohan is only contracted for six races, giving him limited time to prove his worth to Alpine. The switch could happen before the summer break if the Aussie fails to deliver.
Luca de Meo says Franco Colapinto must prove he is ‘fast’ to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine
Many people in the F1 paddock say it’s a matter of time before Doohan is sacked and replaced by Colapinto. While the team have stressed they are committed to the 22-year-old, it seems increasingly likely that the Argentine will step into the team at some point.
Doohan must match Gasly to save his seat – a tough ask given the Frenchman is one of the in-form drivers on the grid after securing 10th in the drivers’ championship in 2024.
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But Renault CEO Luca de Meo has stressed that Colapinto must prove himself too. Speaking with Telenoche, the Italian sees the 21-year-old as a driver ‘of the future’ but highlighted his ‘criterion’ is to show his speed.
“We are a very solid team with very professional people. So I think that Franco is in the right place,” said de Meo.
“I am very happy that Franco has arrived in Alpine. I think that he will be one of the drivers of the future of Formula 1 because he has a lot of talent and the Argentines want him.
“So then we are also going to take advantage of his popularity because it is something good.
“I am sure that Franco is very motivated and he has a lot [of] talent. But he has to show that he is fast, this is the criterion. But he has all the possibilities.”
Jack Doohan snapped at questions about Franco Colapinto at F1 75 launch event
Colapinto has played down rumours he could replace Doohan, simply saying he is here to ‘support the team’. But there is no doubt the Argentine will keep tabs on the Aussie situation.
Understandably, Alpine have tried to keep the speculation under wraps as they want to have Doohan focused for the first race of the season.
Doohan snapped at questions about Colapinto at the F1 75 launch event, stating that Colapinto is Alpine’s reserve driver. The team’s PR officer blocked further questions on the matter soon after,
The 22-year-old will head to his home Grand Prix in Australia for the 2025 season opener. While it will mark a special occasion, fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri warned Doohan by sharing that Melbourne as the first race can be ‘overwhelming and intense.’
Karun Chandhok says Doohan is under ‘immediate pressure’ to perform in 2025. With Colapinto waiting in the wings, the Aussie must hit the ground running to save his career.
