
We were expecting this, weren’t we?
After replacing Logan Sargeant and making his debut at the Italian Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto impressed with strong finishes and bagged a haul of points for Williams (eighth in Azerbaijan and 10th at the United States Grand Prix).
Those results saw links with other teams for a possible race seat in 2025, like Sauber and Alpine—with the latter’s executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, said to be in talks with Colapinto and his manager heading to the end of last season to sign him.
The thing is, Alpine had confirmed Jack Doohan as Esteban Ocon’s replacement for 2025, just before Colapinto was announced to race with Williams starting with the Italian Grand Prix.
Ultimately, Alpine “entered into an agreement” with Williams, and signed Colapinto on a multiyear deal and as a reserve driver for 2025.

So, what does this move mean exactly, particularly being a reserve driver for 2025? While Doohan is fresh and has a one-race experience at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, he is still an unknown quantity. This most likely means that Doohan’s performance will be based on a race-by-race basis.
“Clearly, Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now,” Briatore shared. “It is fair to say his appearance on the Formula 1 grid last year caught many—me included—by surprise, and his performances have been very impressive for a rookie driver.”
Briatore is ruthless when it comes to a driver’s performance, but that also means he can spot talent and make champions out of them. Just remember what he did with Michael Schumacher at Benetton and Fernando Alonso at Renault.
But before we even begin thinking of sidelining Doohan, keep in mind that racing is in his blood. He is the son of five-time 500cc (now MotoGP) world champion Mick Doohan.
Will Jack Doohan beat the pressure and deliver, or will we see Franco Colapinto back on the grid as the season progresses? Whatever the case, it’s going to be interesting.
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