Montoya: Alpine replacing Doohan with Colapinto is unacceptable

Alpine had initially contracted Doohan for the season, but team adviser Flavio Briatore signed Colapinto from Williams, with a clear intent of getting him in the car. The time has arrived after six races, Jack is out and Franco is in for the forthcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. Montoya believes a more structured evaluation would have made more sense.

Speaking to Sites de Apostas media team, Montoya said: "What's unacceptable from a driver's point of view, you committed to Jack Doohan and thought he was the best choice. Alpine gave him a contract. The Franco Colapinto situation was not a big deal because there were so many issues at Red Bull, but now the attention has turned back onto that situation.

"When Flavio Briatore came in, they somehow made a deal that Doohan had five races to perform. I would have given five races to Doohan, five races to Colapinto and five races to Paul Aron, then you can sit down and evaluate who is the best choice for next year.

"2025 is a bit of a throw-away year for Alpine because they're moving to Mercedes engines next year. I would assume a lot of the development on the car has stopped, they will be rebuilding for next year. They'll spend the least amount of money on their engine," added the Colombian former F1 driver turned pundit.

Montoya questioned how Alpine will judge Colapinto fairly in the current context and whether the team is creating unnecessary tension within its driver line-up: “Briatore's main thinking will be who is the main pair for next year. If Colapinto comes in and starts to beat Pierre Gasly, is Gasly in danger of losing his seat?"

"Also, a lot of rumours are that Aron was quicker than Colapinto in testing. Last year he did a good job, yeah, he made a lot of mistakes, but his speed is very impressive. He's coming into a high-pressure situation at Alpine; there was no expectation at Williams,” said Montoya.

Reports emerged indicating that Sergio Perez is talking to the Alpine F1 Team for a drive. Suggestions are the Mexican veteran is being lined up, should the Colapinto 'experiment' fail and thus could be in the car this summer.

Montoya believes Alpine could provide Perez with a return, but said of his future: "I would still think Sergio Perez's main aim is to get the Cadillac seat, but if he can get into the Alpine next year, that would be much better for him. If you're doing one or two more years in F1 before you stop, I think Alpine makes much more sense.

"But what happens to Franco Colapinto? It's a complicated situation. Could Perez go back to Red Bull? I think the only person who can displace Yuki Tsunoda is Isack Hadjar, he's shown great potential at VCARB," Montoya said.

With Cadillac entering Formula 1 in partnership with Andretti in 2026, Montoya believes the American team will prioritise financial backing and experience for its debut.

Montoya continued: "Mick Schumacher was speaking to everyone in Miami, so that's why he's in the news again. I'd be surprised if Cadillac don't go for Sergio Perez as their number one, and I'd say Zhou Guanyu as their number two

"Guanyu has been driving in the Ferrari engines as the reserve driver, he'll be used to the systems at Cadillac. Also, Perez and Guanyu both bring a lot of money to the team. It's a bunch of money they can invest in the car," reckoned Montoya.