Confirmed:Jack Doohan: Alpine consider dropping Australian driver from next F1 race at… read more
Alpine Formula 1 team is reportedly considering replacing Australian rookie Jack Doohan ahead of the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, scheduled for May 16-18. The team is believed to be evaluating the 22-year-old’s position following a disappointing start to his debut F1 season, and fellow driver Franco Colapinto is being discussed as a potential replacement.
Doohan’s place on the grid has been under pressure since the start of the 2025 season. Despite a promising background — he was runner-up in the 2023 Formula 2 Championship — he has struggled to find his footing in Formula 1. After seven races, he is yet to score a single point for Alpine, with his best result being a 13th-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix.
His most recent outing at the Miami Grand Prix added further strain. During Friday’s Sprint Qualifying, Doohan was knocked out in the first part of the session and expressed visible frustration afterward. The main race went from bad to worse for him, as he retired on the opening lap after a collision with Racing Bull driver Liam Lawson. It marked his second retirement of the season and further fueled speculation about his future.
Doohan has been involved in two major incidents so far this year. He crashed heavily at his home race in Australia during the season opener and again during Friday practice in Japan. His other results have been similarly underwhelming — a 17th-place finish in Saudi Arabia (where he was lapped), no finishes in the points, and a series of performances that have failed to impress Alpine’s management.
With pressure mounting, Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes gave a cautious statement during the Miami weekend. In a Friday press conference, Oakes confirmed that Doohan was still scheduled to race in Imola alongside teammate Pierre Gasly, but he left the door open to possible changes. “As it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre,” Oakes said. “We’ve been pretty clear on that. We always evaluate, but yeah – today, that is the case. Jack needs to continue doing a good job. But it’s natural that there’s always speculation there.”
Adding to the intrigue is Alpine’s decision to appoint Franco Colapinto as reserve driver this season, which raised eyebrows due to his limited F1 experience. Nonetheless, with Doohan underperforming, Colapinto is now reportedly being considered for a surprise return to the grid, depending on Alpine’s internal assessment this week.
While Pierre Gasly has managed to collect all seven of Alpine’s points so far — finishing seventh in Bahrain and earning a single point in the Miami Sprint — the disparity in performance between him and Doohan is becoming a concern for the team. A final decision on Doohan’s participation at Imola is expected in the coming days.
