Alpine evaluating dropping Doohan before next F1 race

Alpine is evaluating Jack Doohan’s position and considering whether a driver change is needed as soon as the next Formula 1 race at Imola.  

Doohan’s Miami Grand Prix ended on lap one after contact at the first corner with Liam Lawson, who Doohan hit after braking early on the inside for Turn 1, then climbing over the kerb trying to avoid the Racing Bulls car. 

It is the latest in a disappointing run of races at the start of Doohan’s rookie season, which had actually begun brightly in terms of underlying pace. 

But it has also been filled with several incidents. He crashed out of the season opener in Australia on lap one in the wet, picked up penalties in the sprint race and grand prix in China, crashed heavily again in Friday practice in Japan, and has now been eliminated on the opening lap for the second time in six events. 

That record makes for an early trend of not piecing together complete weekends or delivering on the potential he has shown. In Miami, it was particularly unfortunate as it came in the first race that Doohan had outqualified team-mate Pierre Gasly. 

He is one of four drivers yet to score a point in 2025, along with Fernando Alonso, Lawson, and Gabriel Bortoleto. 

Doohan’s place has been at risk since Alpine signed Franco Colapinto from Williams as a test and reserve driver for 2025. Alpine’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore is a big supporter of Colapinto and has been keen to try him in a race seat, but there has been division within Alpine on how best to proceed as the preference of others is to give Doohan time.

Alpine signed Doohan to the race seat in August last year and after extensive speculation at the start of the season about the threat from Colapinto, it was agreed that Doohan should have until the summer to prove himself - with Briatore even expressing that sentiment.

However, as of the end of the Miami Grand Prix weekend, The Race understands that a change could be made early in the season after all, potentially in time for the triple-header that begins at Imola in two weeks’ time. 

Alpine said it would not comment on rumours, and team principal Oliver Oakes did not conduct a media session on Sunday evening in Miami.

Earlier in the weekend in an FIA press conference he had slightly equivocated on Doohan's position by saying "as it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre", and adding: "We always evaluate, but today, that is the case."

In the meantime, Doohan expects to begin preparations at Alpine’s Enstone headquarters for the upcoming races.

“It was obviously good to get my first qualifying in front of my team-mate and feeling confident in the car,” Doohan said of his Miami weekend. 

“These are the small little wins that we unfortunately have to take from this weekend - but we'll be carrying that into Imola.

“We have some sim work to do on the car and some sim work to do for the upcoming few races.

“It’s a good time to reset, although I feel like I haven't really even done much driving. 

“So I will be just shifting the focus straight to what's to come.”

Whether he gets that chance depends on whether Alpine’s stakeholders opt to remain patient, or give Colapinto a chance after all. 

The young Argentine driver made a strong first impression when he joined Williams for a part-season last year and scored points despite his inexperience, although did then have a mix of crashes and more difficult race weekends. 

He also attracted significant backing from Latin American companies and that has carried over to Alpine, which struck a partnership with Mercado Libre in February. 

Argentina’s state-owned oil company YPF is a Colapinto backer and, while it does not have a direct deal with Alpine, is now a strategic partner of Eni - Alpine’s energy and fuel partner as of February this year. 

YPF CEO Horacio Marin made headlines when he appeared to state Colapinto would be driving for Alpine at Imola while unaware he was still on air during an interview in Argentina - although he subsequently claimed he was only expressing his personal hope that would be the case.

Oakes also responded to that earlier in the weekend during his FIA press conference appearances.

"I saw it, like everyone else," Oakes said. 

"I think it was a sponsor from Argentina off-camera giving his view on Franco, when he’s going to be in the car. 

"I’m sure there’s a lot of people in Argentina who’d like him in the car this Sunday. 

"We’ve been pretty open as a team that that’s just noise. 

"Jack needs to continue doing a good job. But it’s natural that there’s always speculation there."