Franco Colapinto replaces Jack Doohan at Alpine

Changes are happening at Alpine F1 Team. Following Oliver Oakes' resignation as Team Principal of the Franco-British team, it's Jack Doohan's turn to step down. The Australian driver will hand over the wheel at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Italy, May 16-18) to Argentinian Franco Colapinto.

 

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Franco Colapinto will compete in Grand Prix for the next five rounds, according to a team statement. AlpineA new assessment will take place before the British Grand Prix in July. Jack Doohan is paying, according to Flavio Briatore, the new leader of the Arrowed A, for a lack of competitiveness in the first races of the 2025 season. It can also be argued that the rookie lacked confidence and support from the staff, as rumors surrounding the arrival of Franco Colapinto were circulating during the off-season.

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"After analyzing the first races of the season, we have taken the decision to line up Franco alongside Pierre for the next five events, confirms Flavio Briatore. In a field as close as it has been this year, and with a competitive car that the team has significantly improved over the last twelve months, we are in a position where we understand the need to rotate our duo. We also know that the 2026 season will be important for the team and that a full and fair evaluation of our drivers is the right thing to do this year in order to maximize our ambitions for next year."

According to Flavio Briatore, the doors to F1 are not closed for Jack Doohan. A return as a regular driver is not out of the question. "We continue to support Jack within the team, as he has demonstrated great professionalism in his role as a racing driver so far this season. The next five rounds will give us the opportunity to try something different and we will evaluate our options after this period."

For his part, Jack Doohan issued a rather polite statement. “I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a professional Formula 1 driver. I will be eternally grateful to the team for helping me achieve it. Obviously, this new chapter is difficult to accept, as I naturally want to race, like any professional driver. That said, I appreciate the team's trust and commitment. We have long-term goals and I will continue to fully invest myself to achieve them in every way. For now, I am staying focused, working hard, and will follow the next five races with interest while continuing to pursue my personal goals.”

Finally, Franco Colapinto is eager to make his return to an F1 seat, he who had astonished the paddock with his speed during his five stints with Williams in the fall of 2024. “First of all, I would like to thank the team for giving me the chance to race competitively in the next five races. I will be working hard with the team to prepare for the next round at Imola and the triplet, which will undoubtedly be intense and a huge challenge for all of us. I have stayed sharp and am as ready as possible thanks to the test program with the race support team, as well as the simulator.enstoneI will do my best to get back into the rhythm quickly and give everything I have to achieve the best results alongside Pierre."