Attention, we have another driver change! It’s been in the air for a while, but now test and reserve driver Franco Colapinto is officially stepping in at Alpine. He inherits the seat from Jack Doohan, who was sacked after six races in 2025. The Australian was already under pressure from the Argentine driver before the season began; after six point-less finishes and two retirements, enough was enough. The change may also be related to the recent departure of team boss Oliver Oakes.
“¡Vamos Franco!”, Alpine wrote on their official channels on Wednesday, making the driver change official. Interestingly, the team openly reports that the 21-year-old driver has signed a contract for five races. It’s clear that Alpine is not yet fully convinced of Colapinto. What happens if the Williams star also disappoints in the next five Grands Prix – starting with the Emilia-Romagna GP – is still unknown.
Franco Colapinto, who moved from the Williams program to Alpine last year, is considered a promising talent. In 2024, he inherited Logan Sargeant‘s seat halfway through the season and scored valuable points for the British team. However, he couldn’t keep his spot there due to the arrival of Carlos Sainz. Now a new opportunity beckons – this time at Alpine, in Jack Doohan’s car. The promotion may be related to the recent resignation of Oliver Oakes. The British team boss was a big supporter of Doohan, while top advisor Flavio Briatore, who now holds the reins, is said to be charmed by the Argentine. To prepare him for his Alpine debut, Franco Colapinto is allowed to test at the Zandvoort circuit this week.
Jack Doohan
After yet another disappointing weekend in Miami, the decision to replace Jack Doohan was imminent. His withdrawal in Florida seemed to be the latest chapter in a series of underwhelming performances by the 22-year-old Australian, who had so far struggled to find his place in Formula 1. Doohan had not yet scored a single point in the premier class and never finished higher than thirteenth place.
In the Miami qualifiers, Doohan seemed to briefly showcase his potential. With a strong lap, he managed to beat teammate Pierre Gasly for the first time and started from P14. However, his race ended in the very first turn, after a collision with Liam Lawson. This marked his second withdrawal in six races – he had previously dropped out during his home race in Melbourne. The weekend followed on from earlier messy performances in China and Japan, where he crashed heavily after forgetting to close his DRS in the fast opening turn – a mistake for which Alpine openly held him responsible.
