Franco Colapinto Replaces Jack Doohan At Alpine After Just Six Races

Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto will replace rookie Jack Doohan after just six races following a poor start to the season.

Doohan, 22, had been under pressure for his seat since Alpine signed Franco Colapinto from Williams as a reserve driver.

Argentine driver Colapinto impressed many during his brief Formula 1 spell at Williams last season.

After several days of growing rumours, Alpine have now confirmed they will make the change ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on 16-18 May.

In a statement, Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore said: “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 also know the 2026 season will be an important one for the team and having a complete and fair assessment of the drivers this season is the right thing to do in order to maximise our ambitions next year. ”

The statement said that Doohan remained “an integral part of the team” and would be first-choice reserve driver during this period.

Franco Colapinto Bringing Big Money To Alpine?

As well as his impressive stint at Williams last year, Colapinto also brings the potential of big sponsorship money from South America.

The 21-year-old raced nine times for Williams in 2024, replacing American driver Logan Sargeant following the Dutch Grand Prix.

Colapinto scored points at Azerbaijan and in US races but crashed in both qualifying and the race at Sao Paulo, as well as qualifying in Las Vegas.

He also crashed in practice before scoring his first points in Baku. While impressing with his pace and wheel-to-wheel racing, he damaged his reputation with a number of mistakes and crashes.

Having lost his Williams seat due to the arrival of former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, Colapinto ed Alpine over the winter break.

This led to instant rumours that he would replace Doohan, which has now been confirmed.

However, Williams boss James Vowles revealed his team retain the option to bring Colapinto back to the team in future.

Jack Doohan To Be Replaced After Another Crash

Despite out-qualifying teammate Pierre Gasly for the main race for the first time at the Miami Grand Prix, Jack Doohan has already lost his seat.

Doohan crashed with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson on the opening lap, sustaining a puncture and being forced to retire the car.

While the Australian has shown flashes of good pace, he has been involved in several incidents, including two major crashes.

The season opener in Australia saw Doohan lose control in the wet on the opening lap, before he crashed again in practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Doohan’s Suzuka crash came because he forgot to close the DRS overtaking system before the high-speed turn one in Japan.

Despite dropping their rookie driver after a handful of races, Alpine reiterated that Doohan remains “and integral part of the team”.

Briatore added: “We continue to Jack at the team, as he has acted in a very professional manner in his role as a race driver so far this season.

“The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options.”