"We always evaluate": Alpine considers replacing Jack Doohan ahead of Imola Formula 1 race

Jack Doohan 's Alpine Formula 1 Team future is seriously in doubt after another premature race retirement at the Miami Grand Prix , with the team said to be considering a mid-season driver switch prior to the upcoming event at Imola. The Australian rookie's crash-and-bash season and failure to capitalise on opportunities have left Alpine's hierarchy questioning his role, particularly with reserve driver Franco Colapinto strongly lobbying for a race seat.
Alpine's faith in Jack Doohan falters as Franco Colapinto comes forward as a possible Imola stand-in

Jack Doohan's season has included a crash in Australia, China time penalties, a big shunt at Japanese GP practice, and now the Miami collision. It's created a worrying picture of a rider who can't quite deliver a clean, fault-free race weekend. Interestingly, Jack Doohan is still one of four drivers without a 2025 point—Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson, and Gabriel Bortoleto being the others.
The growing uncertainty over Jack Doohan has opened the door to speculation over Franco Colapinto's ascension. Contracted as Alpine's 2025 reserve and test driver, Franco Colapinto has good backing within the team, especially from executive advisor Flavio Briatore . The Argentine youngster impressed on a temporary stint with Williams last year, picking up points early in despite being inexperienced.
Franco Colapinto also has tremendous commercial appeal. With sponsors such as Argentina's YPF and online retail giant Mercado Libre now linked to Alpine—through both Colapinto and recent alliances—his attraction is more than sporting. During a recent Argentine broadcast, YPF CEO Horacio Marin intimated Colapinto would compete in Imola, fuelling feverish speculation. Marin subsequently explained he was speaking from a personal wish, but the remark further fuelled ongoing speculation.
Team management remains tight-lipped as deadline approaches
Alpine has stayed publicly coy. Team Principal Oliver Oakes kept the media out of his reach after the Miami Grand Prix and only made a guarded statement early in the weekend. “As it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre,” Oakes added. “We always evaluate, but today, that is the case.”
Backstage, The Race describes internal discord—some on Alpine's top leadership wish to offer Jack Doohan more time, but others prefer to do the early swap prior to the European triple-header, which will open at Imola.
For his part, Doohan remains focused and optimistic. “It was obviously good to get my first qualifying in front of my teammate and feeling confident in the car,” Doohan said of his Miami weekend. These are the small little wins that we unfortunately have to take from this weekend – but we'll be carrying that into Imola. We have some sim work to do on the car and some sim work to do for the upcoming few races. It’s a good time to reset, although I feel like I haven't really even done much driving. So I will be just shifting the focus straight to what's to come.” he said. Yet, whether he’ll get the chance to continue remains unclear.
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Alpine has a make-or-break decision: persevere with Jack Doohan, a raw but increasingly error-prone rookie, or elevate Franco Colapinto—a commercial, fast-improving driver with both on-track and commercial momentum. With Imola approaching, the team needs to determine whether to bet on patience or move quickly to safeguard their 2025 season.