Alpine have dropped Jack Doohan and installed Franco Colapinto as Pierre Gasly’s team-mate on a five-race agreement that will start with next weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Doohan, who will remain with Alpine as a reserve driver, has lost his seat after failing to score a point during the opening six rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season, making the 22-year-old the second young driver to be replaced this year after Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson back down to their junior team after just two races.

Speculation over Doohan’s future began before his rookie campaign had even got under way, with Alpine’s January signing of Colapinto from Williams as a reserve driver sparking rumours that the Australian would soon be replaced.

Colapinto, 21, quickly attracted stardom and significant financial backing from sponsors in his native Argentina as he caught the eye in nine race appearances for Williams at the end of last season, but will himself be placed under immediate pressure by what the team describe as a ‘rotation’ that is part of “an on-going assessment” of their driver line-up.

Wednesday morning’s announcement was preceded on Tuesday evening by the resignation of Oliver Oakes as Alpine team principal, with his duties being taken over by executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who oversaw multiple world titles for Benetton in the 1990s and Renault in the mid-2000s.

In an Alpine release confirming the driver switch, Briatore said: “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 as 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.”

Doohan: Demotion tough to take

Doohan finally got his chance at Alpine after three seasons as a reserve driver, with the team signing him for 2025 in August last year before also installing him for the final race of 2024 in place of the departing Esteban Ocon.

However, the signing of Colapinto as a reserve in January led to consistent debate around the paddock over how soon Doohan would be replaced, with both driver and Oakes having to answer questions on the topic at just about every media session they have conducted in 2025.

While Doohan showed flashes of speed, big crashes at the season-opener in Australia and third round in Japan only increased the pressure on him, which appeared to take its toll at the most recent race weekend in Miami as he ranted at his team over the radio after being knocked out of Sprint Qualifying.

Doohan said: “I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 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.”

Colapinto’s unorthodox F1 journey takes another turn

Colapinto’s promotion from reserve on a rarely seen short-term deal marks the latest chapter in what is becoming one of the most unorthodox starts to an F1 career in the sport’s recent history.

He said: “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.”

The Argentine replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams for the final nine rounds of 2024, but had no pathway to a 2025 seat with the team as they had already signed the extremely strong pairing of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.

Colapinto made a highly impressive start to his F1 career with two points-scoring finishes in his first four races, which resulted in him being linked with a seat at either Red Bull, or more realistically, their junior team Racing Bulls.

However, his form dipped with several crashes in the closing stages of the season, and he appeared to have been left to watch from the sidelines as Williams reserve driver in 2025.

Then came his surprise move to Alpine in January, with the terms unclear at the time as Williams team principal James Vowles insisted that the Grove squad would have Colapinto back “at some point”. The driver’s manager has since reportedly confirmed the arrangement is a five-year loan.

Now he has five races to establish himself at Alpine, with a reserve driver pairing of Doohan and, perhaps more realistically, 21-year-old Estonian Paul Aron waiting to replace him.

F1’s European season begins with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on May 16-18, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime