Australian Formula 1 driver Jack Doohan has been dropped by Alpine, the team announced this morning on their social media.
Rumours had been circling in recent days that Jack, the son of legendary bike racer Mike Doohan, was set to be dropped from the team after failing to score a single point in the first six races of the season.
His replacement is young hot-shot Franco Colapinto, who took the F1 paddock by storm after taking over the Williams seat mid-season in 2024.
The choice to rotate the drivers came after Doohan couldn’t finish a single lap in Miami after a crash at the first corner with Kiwi Liam Lawson.
Jack Doohan has been dropped after 6 races in F1
David Davies/PA Wire/PA Images
All hope may not be lost for the Queensland-born as Colapinto only has the seat for the next five rounds of the championship.
In a statement, Alpine said, "As part of an ongoing assessment of its driver line-up, the team has made the decision to rotate one of it’s 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."
This doesn’t come as a surprise to many fans, as there were rumours circulating back in January that Colapinto would replace Doohan before the very first race of the season.
Shortly after the official announcement, the now reserve driver released his statement in which he said: "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."
Drivers had the chance to drive full size Lego F1 cars before the Miami GP
Reuters
Alpine have been going through a period of change after their team boss, Oliver Oakes, resigned with immediate effect yesterday.
The team's executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, says the team will continue to support Doohan, but after review, a change was needed.
"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," he said.
He also cited 2026 as a reason behind the in-season driver swap: "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."
Colapinto has made nine Formula 1 starts for Williams. In his statement, he revealed he has been staying prepared and sharp in anticipation of a possible recall.
"Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races," he said.
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"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.'
His first appearance in blue will be at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy on May 16.
