The 2025 season was never going to be easy for Jack Doohan. Even before it started, there was already speculation that Franco Colapinto would replace him after six races or so, a move said to be strongly pushed by Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive advisor (and also Doohan’s manager).

Credit to Doohan for not being distracted (so it seems) and for pushing on. However, having to prove what he can do in the next few races, he has demonstrated bursts of speed, but with it came a number of incidents, some of which were on the first lap. On a stronger point, he has out-qualified Pierre Gasly once during his stint.

So, after the first six races, that preseason speculation was going to happen, with Colapinto announced he will fill Doohan’s race seat for the next five rounds.

An Alpine statement said: 

As part of an ongoing assessment of its driver lineup, the team has made a decision to rotate one of its race seats for the next five rounds.

BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team therefore announces that Franco Colapinto will be paired with Pierre Gasly from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, ahead of a new evaluation before the British Grand Prix in July.

Jack Doohan remains an integral part of the team, and will be the first-choice reserve driver for this period of time.

After the decision, Doohan went on to share: “I am very proud to achieve my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 driver, and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream. Obviously, the latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing. For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races, and keep chasing my own personal goals.”

For his part, Colapinto said: “Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races. I will work hard with the team to prepare for the next race in Imola and the upcoming triple-header, which will no doubt be intense and a big challenge for everyone.”

“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,” Briatore commented. “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 lineup. We continue to support Jack at the team, as he has acted in a very professional manner in his role as a race driver 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.”

The decision, however, comes after Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes’s resignation announcement. It is believed that there was a power struggle within management, with Oakes opting to retain Doohan, while Briatore pushing for Colapinto.

Oakes took over as team principal in July last year. After his appointment, the team scored points finishes and a double podium in Brazil, and finished a very decent sixth in the team standings.

It has to be said that Colapinto’s return will be of high interest following his impressive display at Williams after replacing Logan Sargeant from the Italian Grand Prix last season—finishing eighth in Azerbaijan and 10th at the United States Grand Prix—but also having his share of shunts in Brazil and Las Vegas.

Bring on the next five rounds.