Alpine underwent a major reshuffle over the past two days, beginning with team principal Oliver Oakes resigning from his position, followed by the removal of rookie Jack Doohan after just six races. Doohan will be replaced by Franco Colapinto, who made nine appearances for Williams last season.
The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as a sword had been hanging over Doohan’s head even before the season began. Reportedly, he was given six races to impress Alpine’s higher-ups — and failing to do so meant reserve driver Colapinto would get the nod. That’s exactly what has happened.
Doohan’s time in F1 has been miserable, marred by expensive crashes and underwhelming performances that have left him 17th in the standings — one of only three drivers on the grid yet to score a point this season. Enter Colapinto, a driver who managed to score points for a backmarker Williams team on two separate occasions last year.
That said, Alpine’s advisor and new interim team principal Flavio Briatore hasn’t handed the keys to Colapinto on a permanent basis just yet.
The Argentine driver has signed a short-term contract with Alpine that will see him compete in five races. His debut for the Enstone-based squad will come next week in Imola, followed by appearances in Monaco, Spain, Canada, and finally the Austrian GP, which will mark the end of his current deal.
¡VamosFranco! @FranColapinto will be making the step up to race driver for the next five races. pic.twitter.com/tafrINGm4B
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) May 7, 2025
Veteran journalist Ian Parkes could not quite get his head around the move. “I say weird because as we were just discussing before we came on air that five races… it means that a decision will be made between the Austrian and British GP which are back to back,” he said.
Parkes believes that Colapinto should also have been given at least a six-race contract given how the 2025 calendar has been structured.
“Why not give Franco six races because after the British GP there is then a longer extended gap of 2 and 1/2 weeks before we then go into the concluding part of this first half of the season,” he added.
As far as Alpine is concerned, they want to test how Colapinto fits into their plans. Most importantly, he will be judged against the benchmark already set by Doohan, who will watch patiently from the sidelines, hoping for another call-up.
A true professional all the way – thank you for your hard work and dedication whilst in the car, Jack
He will remain an integral part of our team as Reserve Driver. pic.twitter.com/J4Bm0LAUaO
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) May 7, 2025
Briatore earlier today said, “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.”
This statement suggests that if Colapinto fails to deliver, Doohan — or perhaps other Alpine junior prospects — could be called up again. Currently, alongside Doohan, Alpine have Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa, and Kush Maini as reserves.
Will there be a second-seat merry-go-round at Alpine in the coming months? That depends on Colapinto’s performances and Briatore’s decisions.
