Following a press release issued on Wednesday, BWT Alpine Formula One Team confirmed Franco Colapinto will step in for Jack Doohan at the wheel of the A525 challenger from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Flavio Briatore, Alpine Executive Advisor, commented: “Having reviewed the opening races of the season, we have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races. With the field being so closely matched this year, and with a competitive car, which the team has drastically improved in the past 12 months, we are in a position where we see the need to rotate our line-up.”
“We continue to support Jack at the team, as he has acted in a very professional manner in his role as a race driver so far this season,” Briatore added. “The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different, and after this time period, we will assess our options.”
The former Williams racer born in Pilar, Argentina, will pair with Pierre Gasly for at least the next five rounds of the 2025 Formula One season, featuring a 24-race calendar, pending Alpine’s new evaluation of its driver line-up before the British Grand Prix in July.
Doohan, for his part, will take on the role the Argentine held until last weekend’s Miami GP, acting as a reserve driver with the squad.
“I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula One driver. I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream,” Doohan asserted.
“This latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally, I want to be racing. That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve, and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those.
“For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races, and keep chasing my own personal goals.”
Following impressive performances in the Formula 3 championship - finished runner-up in 2021, and Formula 2, becoming a race-winner, the Australian debuted in Formula 1 with the Enstone-based outfit at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, taking over Esteban Ocon’s seat, departing to Haas F1 before the season-ending grand prix.
Then, the Queensland native graduated as a full-time driver to start the 2025 season, pairing with Frenchman Gasly.
Across a 6-race period, the 22-year-old failed to score points, missing out on finishing the Australian and Miami Grand Prix.
Moreover, he struggled to find the pace, experiencing heavy crashes.
During Free Practice 2 in Suzuka, Doohan failed to close the Drag Reduction System (DRS) going into Turn 1, leading to a serious crash, causing extensive damage to the car, and red-flagging the session. Fortunately, the driver walked out of the incident unhurt.
“We are all relieved to see Jack walk away from his incident in Free Practice 2 and glad to see he is okay after his precautionary checks,” said Alpine Team Principal at the time, Oli Oakes.
“It was a misjudgment of not closing the DRS into Turn 1. It is something to learn from.”
On Tuesday evening, Oakes, who joined Alpine in July last year, resigned from his position as Team Principal with immediate effect.
“As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as Executive Advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes,” the outfit officially stated.
A Formula 1 Seat at Stake
Speculation in the paddock grew within each race weekend as the results continued to elude the Aussie, all pointing to Colapinto as a substitute for the rookie racer.
The Argentine made an impression during the second half of 2024 when he stepped in for American driver Logan Sargeant, making the most of a nine-race run for Williams Racing, scoring points in Azerbaijan and Austin.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old, once a member of the Williams Driver Academy, crashed out in Sao Paulo and Las Vegas.
During qualifying in Sin City, he hit the barriers so heavily that the impact registered 50g, forcing the team to start from the pit lane.
All in all, he recorded five points throughout nine races, sitting nineteenth in the standings to finish his season.
In January 2025, he signed a multi-year contract with Alpine, taking on a test and reserve driver role.
Before being promoted to a Formula 1 seat, Colapinto was competing in his first full Formula 2 season. He sat sixth in the standings, driving for MP Motorsports.
“Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races,” the South American driver outlined as he is about to open a new career chapter at the pinnacle of motorsport in Imola.
“I will work hard with the team to prepare for the next race in Imola and the upcoming triple-header, which will no doubt be intense and a big challenge for everyone. I have stayed sharp, and I am as ready as possible with the team’s race support testing program, as well as on the simulator at Enstone.
“I will do my best to get up to speed quickly and give it my all to deliver the best possible results alongside Pierre.”