With five rookies on the grid, 2025 is going to be the season of young drivers in F1. Each of those drivers is going to be under the microscope and the pressure to prove their mettle. Even among those, Jack Doohan will arguably be under more pressure than others. That is because the Australian is presumably racing to save his seat right from the first Grand Prix.
Doohan was appointed as Esteban Ocon’s replacement for the 2025 season. The joy, however, was short-lived as the team drew links with another young talent — Franco Colapinto. The Argentine driver had a fine run with Williams in 2025 as Logan Sargeant’s mid-season replacement and was on rival teams’ radar in no time.
Alpine soon got Colapinto onboard as their reserve driver. Many saw this as a threat to Doohan’s place, which solidified after Flavio Briatore’s approval. The Italian team advisor clarified that they would start the season with Doohan but proceed only on merit. That led to speculations over the duration of the 22-year-old’s contract with the Enstone outfit.
F1 journalists pounced on the opportunity to find clarification on the first chance they had. Doohan was a part of the press conference ahead of the F1 75 event in London where he answered questions related to his stay at Alpine and some related to Colapinto. But the French team’s press officer wasn’t keen on the same.
Stepping into the press conference proceedings, the press officer prevented Doohan from answering a question on the duration of his contract. Per @f1gossippofficial on Instagram, addressing the media, the officer said:
“Enough questions about Colapinto. I think that’s enough. We have three about Franco, let’s move on to other topics.”
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The intervention does not come as a surprise as the French team had already made arrangements to avoid questions on Colapinto and Doohan’s contract speculations. It was this paranoia that led them to keep Colapinto out of the F1 75 event.
Doohan unfazed by Colapinto’s presence
The Alpine rookie may be under immense pressure to fight to save his seat but that is the pressure he is looking to embrace. Doohan acknowledged Colapinto’s presence but maintained his status to be that of a reserve driver only.
“I’ve been told he’s reserve driver,” he said when asked if he feared being replaced by the Argentine.“Whatever pressure there may be, I look forward to enjoying that, embracing it, and just enjoying my Formula 1 season,” Doohan added.
The pre-season activities have ramped up in F1 and so has the buzz in the media. Alpine’s driver lineup is certainly one of the storylines to follow in 2025. Will Doohan manage to keep his seat by the season-end? Only time will tell.
