Alpine in talks to replace Franco Colapinto – two days after they hired him

Just two days after he was hired, Franco Colapinto’s future at Alpine is in doubt with the Formula 1 team in talks to sign a new driver.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Alpine had axed rookie Jack Doohan after just six races of the 2025 season, with Colapinto to replace him.

Doohan’s seat was under threat even before his first grand prix, when the French team signed Colapinto to be their reserve driver after he impressed in the second-half of 2024 with Williams.

The Argentinean will make his return to racing at next weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the infamous Imola circuit in Italy.

Failure to score a single point – albeit in one of the slowest cars on the grid – plus crashes in Australia, Japan and Miami, sealed Doohan’s fate though he remains first-choice Alpine reserve.

Colapinto’s long-term future is far from secure either however, as he is only contracted to take part in the next five rounds, with Alpine to reassess their line-up before the British Grand Prix in July.

Moreover, it has now been reported by The Race that Alpine have held talks with Sergio Perez, with the Mexican plotting a return to F1 after being sacked by Red Bull at the end of 2024.

Perez’s contract was ripped up by Red Bull after his poor performances lost them the Constructors’ title despite Max Verstappen winning the drivers’ championship with relative ease.

The six-time race winner is still well-regarded and has been closely linked with the newly formed Cadillac team that will be joining the grid in 2026.

But it is now reported that after first making contact last year, Perez’s camp and Alpine have been in talks over a seat next season that would see him partner Pierre Gasly.

The 35-year-old is open to the move, especially as the established team ought to be a better short-term option than Cadillac.

Alpine don’t view Perez as a leading contender at the moment however, but that could quickly change if Colapinto fails to perform.

Doohan meanwhile remains hopeful he will be back behind the wheel again this season, saying: ‘I am very proud to have achieved 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, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing. That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment.

‘We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those.

‘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.’

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