Even before the beginning of 2025 pre-season testing, there is uncertainty about Alpine’s driver line-up. Jack Doohan, who was awarded a contract last summer, is already at risk of losing his seat.
Franco Colapinto, who burst onto the scene in Monza, recently signed a multi-year contract with Alpine.
Although Colapinto is currently a reserve driver, the long-term nature of his contract suggests it is only a matter of time before he gets a full-time seat.
More reports are emerging which indicate that Doohan’s position is at risk.
Alpine compiling “very complete report”
Among the many significant changes at Alpine last year, arguably the biggest was the return of Flavio Briatore.
Appointed as Executive Advisor, the 74-year-old has the final say on key areas – including the French squad’s driver pairing.
Indeed, it was Briatore who played an important role in negotiating with Franco Colapinto at the end of last year and the very start of 2025.
The Italian makes no secret that Doohan is not guaranteed to keep his position until the end of the season – fuelling speculation about the 22-year-old’s future.
According to a recent report from Nextgen-Auto, Alpine are already comparing Colapinto and Doohan’s performance.
In the build-up to Bahrain testing, teams are participating in a series of different tests to prepare for the new season.
A series of TPC programmes (Testing of previous cars) and Pirelli tyre tests are keeping teams busy in the build-up to the official start of pre-season.
Alpine are among them, currently completing running at the Barcelona circuit.
Both Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan are taking part. On paper, this is not an usual arrangement – considering that reserve drivers are usually present in these tests.
Doohan under pressure
However, it is understood that Alpine are making an extensive “report” on how Doohan and Colapinto perform in these tests.
They will be assessed on their raw pace, feedback to engineers, set-up work and other key parameters.
Whilst drivers are constantly working to improve, the state of affairs at Alpine is obviously unusual. It seems clear that Doohan will not have virtually no time to acclimatise to Formula 1.
Even before the season begins, his pace is under constant surveillance. There is mounting evidence to suggest the French team are willing to replace him mid-season if his performances are not up to standard.
An important point to make, though it won’t be of consolation to Doohan, is that nobody knows what Alpine expect from him.
In theory, the best way for the Australian to keep his position is to match his teammate Pierre Gasly.
However, considering the experience gap between the two drivers, this is a very difficult target to reach. It is probably unrealistic for Alpine to set this kind of target for the 22-year-old.
To clear, it would be premature to suggest that Doohan’s future is already set in stone. Nothing is ever guaranteed Formula 1, so Alpine could yet give Doohan a fair chance.
Still, it is impossible to ignore that Alpine have Colapinto ready and waiting.
It remains to be seen how much time Doohan will have to adjust.
