Alpine evaluating replacing Doohan with Colapinto for Imola

Alpine is weighing up whether to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto ahead of the next race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Doohan’s seat has been under constant scrutiny ever since he was promoted one race early at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year. The Australian rookie had been announced as an Alpine race driver in August, but the emergence of Colapinto on the driver market – who brings a resume of strong performances for Williams along with significant interest from Argentina – made him a candidate for a future race seat.

Alpine moved to sign Colapinto on loan from Williams over the winter, which Williams team principal James Vowles confirmed was due to the expectation that the 21-year-old would be promoted into a race seat at some stage.

According to RACER’s sources, the team is now determing whether that time will come ahead of the start of the European season at Imola in two weeks.

Should Colapinto take over Doohan’s seat, the change would come after just seven races for Doohan – six this season – during which time he has displayed encouraging pace, but had heavy crashes on the opening lap in Australia and during practice at Suzuka.

Doohan voiced his frustration at the team after being eliminated in SQ1 in Miami on Friday, and despite outqualifying team-mate Pierre Gasly for the first time on Saturday, his race ended after a first corner collision with Liam Lawson.

“Unfortunately the things that have gone wrong this weekend have been outside of my control,” Doohan said on Sunday. “But you always have to reflect as well and see in those situations if there was anything that I could have done better. So I will be reflecting on that for a brief period of time before just switching my focus to the upcoming race in Imola.”

Despite those comments – and team principal Oliver Oakes stating on Friday that “as it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre” – there is a growing possibility that Colapinto will return to a race seat.

Alpine is currently ninth in the constructors’ championship on seven points, all scored by Pierre Gasly. Doohan remains one of four drivers – along with Fernando Alonso, Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto – who are yet to score this season. Last year, Colapinto scored five points in nine starts for Williams.