Colapinto to take over Doohan's Alpine from Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Just six races into the 2025 F1 season, Alpine have decided to drop Jack Doohan for the next five Formula 1 races and replace the Australian with Franco Colapinto with immediate effect.

Following last Sunday's Miami Grand Prix, Alpine have decided to drop Jack Doohan for the next five Formula 1 races, with Franco Colapinto returning to the grid as his replacement.

The Enstone-based outfit made the decision to axe Doohan after just six races of the 2025 F1 season. The Australian has not scored any points so far in 2025, having recorded his best result with a 13th-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The team's statement read: "As part of an on-going assessment of its driver line-up, the team has made the decision to rotate one of its race seats for the next five rounds of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship.

"BWT Alpine Formula One Team therefore announces that Franco Colapinto will be paired with Pierre Gasly from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, ahead of a new evaluation before the British Grand Prix in July.

"Franco, who was one of the team’s Test & Reserve Drivers, will race with the number #43 on the A525 and will partner Pierre for the first time in Imola, ahead of three races in three weekends in Europe, which also covers the Monaco Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix, before two races in June for the Canadian Grand Prix and Austrian Grand Prix."

The French-British outfit noted that Doohan will remain "an integral part of the team" and will be the first-choice reserve driver for this period of time.

Reflecting on the team's decision, Alpine's Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore insisted: “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.

"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 maximise 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.”

Ahead of his return to the F1 paddock, Colapinto stated: “Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races. I will work hard with the team to prepare for the next race in Imola and the upcoming triple-header, 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 programme, 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.”

Having completed the first six races for Alpine, Doohan noted: “I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula One 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.”