Jack Doohan is officially axed by Alpine as back-up driver Franco Colapinto takes Aussie F1 star’s seat for the next five races

Aussie F1 driver Jack Doohan has officially been dropped by Alpine, with back-up driver Franco Colapinto set to take his seat for the next five races of the season.

Rumours had been bubbling in recent days that the Australian was set to be dropped from the side, with Doohan, the son of motorbike legend Mick, failing to score a single point in Formula One this season.

The decision to rotate the 22-year-old for back-up driver Colapinto comes after Doohan crashed out of the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday at the first turn.

He had also struggled in Japan, crashing during the second practice session.

Rumours had been bubbling in recent days that Doohan had already been given the news by his team, but on Wednesday Alpine officially confirmed that they were looking into a different strategy for their driver line-up this season.

‘As part of an ongoing 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,’ Alpine said in a statement.

‘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.

‘Jack Doohan remains an integral part of the team and will be the first-choice Reserve Driver for this period of time.’

Some fans had felt that the writing had been on the wall for Doohan when Alpine drafted Colapinto in as their reserve at the beginning of the season. 

The Queensland-born racing driver had previously been questioned on the arrival of the 21-year-old Argentinian driver in January, but had issued a frosty response, claiming he was not feeling ‘undermined’ by Colapinto’s presence. 

On Wednesday, Doohan, who replaced Esteban Ocon at the start of the 2025 season, also released a statement admitting that he was reeling from the decision but was grateful to the team for their support and would be working hard to get back onto the grid. 

‘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,’ Doohan said. 

‘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.’ 

The news means Colapinto will return to the grid in different colours, having left Williams at the beginning of 2025 after replacing Logan Sargeant at the British racing team mid-way through the 2024 season. 

The team will give the former Williams driver five races to impress next to Gasly but executive advisor Flavio Briatore says the team will continue to support Doohan, who will remain the team’s reserve driver. 

‘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,’ 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.’

Alpine currently sit ninth in the Constructors’ Championship on seven points, with Gasly currently 12th in the Drivers’ Championship.

‘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,’ Briatore said.    

‘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.’

Colapinto’s last race in F1 came at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8 but was forced to retire due to a power box issue. 

Having made nine starts for Williams in 2024, he’ll return for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on May 18 and revealed he has been working to stay sharp in anticipation of a recall. 

‘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 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.’