After Franco Colapinto’s arrival, numerous rumors have surrounded Doohan: is the Australian already on the verge of being out of F1?
This winter couldn’t have been worse for Jack Doohan. Barely enough time to celebrate his well-deserved promotion to Formula 1, and the son of the legendary Mick is already at risk of saying goodbye to F1. The acquisition of Franco Colapinto has one clear goal: to put additional pressure on the Australian in a “one-shot” scenario where the young driver from Gold Coast will need to prove his talent in less than 5–6 races.
However, there’s still a faint glimmer of hope for the new Alpine driver, who made his F1 debut in Abu Dhabi, albeit falling short compared to Pierre Gasly. According to reports from autoracer, the #61 performed well in private tests held in Qatar last November, managing not to look out of place against the Frenchman. This precedent provides a boost of confidence: despite a tricky situation, Doohan already has a positive record in the car to use as “fuel” to kick off 2025 on the right foot.
These performances, however, have left doubts in the mind of the ruthless Flavio Briatore. The Italian remarked that “there’s no room for emotions in Formula 1” when referring to Doohan, hinting that the Australian’s journey won’t start under the best circumstances. Adding to this, the recent signings of Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron place Alpine in a position of having a luxurious reserve bench, with both undoubtedly eyeing a main seat as early as this season.
Specifically on Colapinto, Briatore had nothing but praise: “It’s clear that Franco is one of the best young talents in motorsport at the moment. It’s fair to say his appearance on the Formula 1 grid last year caught many, including myself, by surprise, and his performances were truly impressive for a rookie driver,” he stated.
Photo: BWT Alpine F1 Team
