Alpine To Replace Jack Doohan? F1 Team Contemplating Major Change After Miami GP: Report
The driver has been dogged for months by questions about his future, with Alpine signing Argentine Franco Colapinto from Williams as a reserve before the start of the season.
Alpine Racing is considering replacing driver Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto for the next Formula One race at Imola, Italy, ESPN reported on Monday.
Doohan, 22 and son of motorcycle great Mick, has yet to score a point in six races this season and one at the end of 2024.
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The driver has been dogged for months by questions about his future, with Alpine signing Argentine Franco Colapinto from Williams as a reserve before the start of the season.
Olapinto raced nine times for Williams last year as a replacement for dropped American Logan Sargeant and scored five points, with a best finish of eighth in Azerbaijan.
The Argentine’s name routinely has been considered as a replacement for Doohan, who has struggled so far through his rookie season.
Per the report, Horacio Marin, CEO of the Argentine energy company YPF, was caught off-microphone in a recent interview saying Colapinto would be in the car for the May 18 race in Italy.
Speculation has been rampant given Doohan’s poor start, including a first-lap crash at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16 and four penalty points at the Chinese Grand Prix a week later.
The 22-year-old Australian also crashed in the second free practice session ahead of the April 6 Japanese Grand Prix.
Alpine team boss Ollie Oakes cancelled his regular media session after Sunday’s race in which Doohan collided with New Zealander Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls on the opening lap and retired.
Alpine are ninth of the 10 teams in the constructors’ standings.
“As it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre (Gasly)," Oakes had said on Friday when asked to confirm Doohan would be in the car at Imola.
“We always evaluate, but yeah. Today, that is the case."
Doohan, however, kept his spirits up after an opening-lap incident with Liam Lawson at the Miami Grand Prix.
“As we all know, nothing would be intentional," Doohan said.
“Unfortunately, he got squeezed there. I don’t know, maybe he had a car on his outside. We just have to look into it because it didn’t end well for me, and I don’t think it helped him out as well.
“We’ve just got to keep our heads up. Looking forward to Imola now."
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