Jack Doohan was promoted to Alpine once it was confirmed Esteban Ocon would be leaving the team. However, the Australian rookie has had a difficult start to the season and is yet to score a point. He is yet to beat teammate Pierre Gasly in a race, although Doohan outqualified his more experienced teammate for the first time this season in Miami.
However, according to reports, Doohan’s seat is already under threat just six races into the season. Alpine signed Argentine youngster Franco Colapinto before the start of the season as a reserve driver. Colapinto is rumoured to take Doohan’s position before the next race in Imola. But is that fair on the 22-year-old?
Will Jack Doohan race in Imola?
Jack Doohan had a disappointing Miami GP. The Aussie was knocked out of the first session in sprint qualifying. The sprint race didn’t go any better for Doohan as he finished last on the road. However, his fortunes turned in qualifying as he beat teammate Pierre Gasly for time this season. This turned out to be a false dawn as Doohan lasted only 1 lap after contact with Liam Lawson. And Alpine bosses seem to have had enough.
Journalist Chris Medland spoke to F1TV after the Miami GP and didn’t paint a good picture on Doohan’s future. He said: “I hope we get to see Jack (Doohan) at Imola. No disrespect to Franco Colapinto—he’s undoubtedly talented—but in a race like today, so early in the season, Jack simply didn’t get the chance to prove himself.
“That opening lap incident looked more like Liam Lawson pinched him too tightly to the inside—there really was nowhere for Jack to go. The contact was light, yet it ended his race before it ever got going. To judge him on that alone would be harsh.
Jack Doohan Responds to Franco Colapinto’s Alpine Move Amidst F1 Seat Uncertainty
“Still, this sport is incredibly cutthroat, as we’ve seen before with situations like Lawson and Tsunoda. If Alpine chooses to make a change, they’ll have their reasons—but I genuinely hope Jack gets a fair shot over a full race weekend.”
Although Doohan has struggled against his vastly more experienced teammate, the A525 has been disappointing. Alpine looked good in pre-season testing, but it failed to materialise into race pace once the season started. Pierre Gasly has only scored seven points this season, and the car lacks speed. However, Doohan has contributed to his poor start.
Has Jack Doohan made too many mistakes?
Jack Doohan has had an error-strewn first six races of the 2025 season. The rookie wanted to impress his home crowd in the curtain raiser and qualified well in P14. However, the 22-year-old crashed out on the opening lap in the rain-soaked race. Many drivers made errors that day, and on only his second F1 outing, this was expected in the hard conditions.
During the Chinese GP weekend, Doohan’s race craft was called into question. The Australian collected four penalty points on his super licence after contact with Gabriel Bortoleto in the sprint race and Isack Hadjar in the main race.
It didn’t improve for Doohan in Japan after the rookie crashed heavily in turn one at Suzuka. The Aussie kept his DRS open for the first corner and hit the wall heavily, costing Alpine vital money on repairs. And in Miami, Alpine was punished and fined for Doohan speeding in the pit lane during practice.
Franco Colapinto’s Surprise Return to F1 Can Be trouble for Jack Doohan
These mistakes all add up for Alpine, which has to make a decision whether to keep Doohan in the car or take a chance on Franco Colapinto. Doohan is still learning, having only competed in seven F1 races, but Colapinto impressed last season in the Williams. It was rumoured Franco was brought in by Flavio Briatore to replace Doohan if the youngster wasn’t performing. Alpine may just pull the trigger and swap the drivers.
