Franco Colapinto may have just made nine appearances in F1 last season but it was enough for him to leave a strong impression on the paddock. Drafted in from the Italian GP onwards last season, the Argentine went on to impress the paddock with a couple of points finishes in the FW46.
Now, it appears that he is on the verge of his very first full-time race seat in 2025. Colapinto could not drive for the Grove-based team this season, owing to Carlos Sainz’s imminent arrival from Ferrari. However, it is being widely reported that the 21-year-old is all set to join Alpine this season.
This would come as a surprise for many as Australian racing ace Jack Doohan was recently signed by the Enstone-based team. But while the #7 driver will start the season, many credible reports suggest that he runs the risk of losing his seat mid-season if he doesn’t perform as per the team’s expectations.
There appears to be some legs behind the speculation out of Argentina regarding Franco Colapinto potentially joining Alpine.
While Jack Doohan will start the season for Alpine, sources have indicated that – like most deals – performance will play a factor. #F1
— Thomas Maher (@thomasmaheronf1) January 8, 2025
This leaves the door open for Alpine to terminate the rookie’s contract, giving Colapinto the race seat instead. While this is understandable from the team’s perspective, it piles even more pressure on the Australian.
The pressure is on Doohan even before his F1 debut
It was widely speculated that Alpine had offered Doohan a one-year contract for the 2025 season. That said, F1-Insider claims that in fact the #7 driver has only been offered a five-race deal, and his future hinges on this probationary period. Team advisor Flavio Briatore has also suggested that Doohan might get the axe midseason.
Briatore was quoted as saying, “The only certain thing is death. We are going to start the year with Pierre (Gasly) and Jack (Doohan), I guarantee it. After that, we’ll see during the season“. A five-race deal might seem unusual to the fans but mid-season driver replacements have been commonplace in the sport.
Only last year both Williams and RB replaced their drivers, albeit it was later on in the season than what Alpine potentially plan to do. This means that the pressure is on Doohan to hit the ground running and he will not have much time to adjust.
