The 2025 F1 season begins in just over 2 months — but the driver market is already hotting up as Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto are the key players at this moment in time as Flavio Briatore and Alpine F1 continue to make headlines.
Pit Debrief has learned that the 21-year-old Australian driver will be given the opening six rounds to prove his worth to Alpine. If he struggles, Doohan will face a very early exit from the Enstone-based squad as Alpine F1 continues its pursuit of Franco Colapinto.
The driver from Queensland had a solid junior career. Once on Red Bull’s books, he made the switch to the Alpine academy ahead of his first season in F2 three years ago.
Doohan finished a runner-up in the 2021 F3 season. He backed up with P3 in F2 two years ago. After not scoring in Bahrain or Baku, the Aussie delivered an impressive recovery in Formula 2 to finish 3rd. In the end, only 35 points away from champion Theo Pourchaire.
The departure of Esteban Ocon opens the door
Big contact between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly on the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix left former Alpine team principal Bruno Famin furious. Formal confirmation of the 2021 Hungarian GP winner’s exit at the end of 2024 was announced shortly afterwards. Ultimately it came one race earlier than planned.
Despite holding interest in Carlos Sainz for the 2025 F1 season and beyond, Alpine ultimately decided on promoting Doohan from their academy — and this Aussie did want to drive for them.
A chance to assess
Ocon’s departure after the Qatar GP allowed Alpine to assess Jack Doohan in Abu Dhabi.
His first run in Q1 was impressive, just over a tenth behind teammate Pierre Gasly. However, a messy preparation lap on his last attempt meant he could not get a proper time in.
On race day, he finished over 40s behind his French teammate, with eight spots separating them. Doohan was used tactically to try and hold up Nico Hülkenberg, extending his first stint in the process.
The Franco Colapinto factor playing a role at Alpine F1 ahead of the 2025 season
Alpine confirmed at Zandvoort that Jack Doohan would be on the grid with them for 2025 after the summer break. However, Williams’ decision to fire Logan Sargeant immediately had huge consequences. It has put a seed of doubt in the mind of Flavio Briatore and co.
Argentina’s Franco Colapinto impressed the Alpine and Red Bull F1 teams with his speed and strong performances. He was outstanding in Baku, Singapore and COTA. Colapinto scored points in Azerbaijan and the US races for Williams Racing.
Red Bull’s interest cooled following his accidents in the closing rounds of 2024. However, the interest from Flavio Briatore never went away. The Alpine executive advisor has consistently said that Doohan is not guaranteed a full season as they consider Colapinto later into the 2025 F1 season.
The 21-year-old from Pilar has huge support in South America, especially in his home country of Argentina. His role at Alpine is expected to be announced soon as he leaves Williams for the time being at least.
Doohan to face enormous pressure from the get-go in Melbourne
Aside from his full F1 debut at the Abu Dhabi GP, Alpine has plenty of data from testing and running in practice sessions that Doohan has done for the team in the last couple of years. He is a known quantity to them.
What is clear is he will start the season alongside Pierre Gasly at his home race at Albert Park. He is set to get the chance to impress in Australia, China, Japan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami. Shanghai and Miami are Sprint weekends.
The Queenslander needs to prove that he can push the Frenchman hard in the first quarter of the 2025 F1 season. The midfield fight is likely to be incredibly close once again and every driver is key. In reality, Doohan needs to match what Colapinto did against Alex Albon at Williams to keep his seat for the whole of this year.
As Jarno Trulli, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Esteban Ocon have learned previously, Briatore can be extremely ruthless.
