Colapinto in and Doohan out at Alpine F1 starting at Imola

Alpine F1 Team Statement: 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.

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

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.

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor: “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.”

Franco Colapinto: “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.”

Jack Doohan: “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.”

Earlier fellow Australian Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri has expressed his sympathy for fellow Australian Jack Doohan, the rookie driver who looks set to be dropped by the Alpine team before next week's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The resignation of Oliver Oakes and his replacement by Flavio Briatore as Alpine team principal on Tuesday has only further fuelled speculation that Argentina's Franco Colapinto will come into the team at Doohan's expense for Imola.
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"Coming to F1, especially as a rookie under pressure, I do feel sorry for him in some ways," McLaren driver Piastri told ABC television from England on Wednesday. "It's not been the easiest start to the year for him and I know how hard it is to get to F1 in the first place. So I think whatever happens, he can be very proud of the journey so far."

While Doohan is 19th in the drivers' standings after two retirements and a best finish of 14th in his first six grands prix, Piastri is 16 points clear at the top in the wake of four wins in the first six rounds.

A third successive win at Miami at the weekend has fired expectations back home that Piastri will become the firstest of the season has to come."