Colapinto confirmed in place of Doohan at Alpine for next five races

Alpine has confirmed Franco Colapinto will replace Jack Doohan for at least the next five Formula 1 races, starting from the next round at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Argentinean driver was signed as a reserve option by Alpine over the winter, with Williams team principal James Vowles stating he was effectively on loan with the expectation that he would race at some stage. Following just six races of the 2025 season, rookie Doohan has been demoted into the reserve role, with Colapinto partnering Pierre Gasly from Imola onwards before the team says it will carry out a fresh driver evaluation in July.

“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,” executive director Flavio Briatore said. “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 line-up. We also know the 2026 season will be an important one for the team and having a complete and fair assessment of the drivers this season is the right thing to do in order to maximize our ambitions next year.

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

Doohan failed to score a point in his seven starts for Alpine — making his debut in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year — but outqualified Gasly for the first time last time out in Miami. Gasly has scored points in one grand prix and one Sprint, with Alpine’s total of seven points leaving it ninth in the constructors’ championship.

The five-race spell outlined by the team guarantees Colapinto in the race seat until prior to the British Grand Prix in July, a track where he made his FP1 debut for Williams a year ago and the second race in back-to-back weekends also including the Austrian Grand Prix.

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

“I have stayed sharp, and I am as ready as possible with the team’s race support testing program, as well as on the simulator at Enstone. I will do my best to get up to speed quickly and give it my all to deliver the best possible results alongside Pierre.”

Confirmation of the driver change comes just one day after the shock announcement that team principal Oliver Oakes had resigned with immediate effect, with executive advisor Flavio Briatore taking over Oakes’ responsibilities.