F1 star Jack Doohan AXED as Alpine issue official team statement

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F1 star Jack Doohan AXED as Alpine issue official team statement

Jack Doohan has been axed by Alpine F1 team

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 7 May 2025 09:23 Updated: 14:15

Formula 1 star Jack Doohan has been replaced at Alpine by their reserve driver Franco Colapinto with immediate effect, as confirmed in an official team statement.

Doohan, 22, has stepped aside for Colapinto after Alpine made the brutal decision to replace the Australian after just six races in 2025, but the Argentine racer has only been confirmed as an Alpine F1 driver for the next five grands prix.

Doohan, who is also the son of motorcycle legend and five-time 500 cc world champion Mick Doohan, is one of four drivers without a point to his name this year – alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto.

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Doohan’s Alpine team-mate, Pierre Gasly, has meanwhile accrued seven points in six main races, with the decision now being made to roll the dice on Colapinto instead.

An official team statement confirmed the driver change, announcing Doohan's demotion to the reserve driver role he previously held.

The statement read: "As part of an ongoing assessment of its driver line-up, the team has made the decision to rotate one of its 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."

As news broke of the end of Doohan's current chance in F1, the Aussie racer 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."

Franco Colapinto will replace Jack Doohan at Alpine for the next five grands prix

Colapinto Alpine F1 promotion confirmed for Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

The news of the immediate driver swap at Alpine comes less than 12 hours after the shock resignation of their F1 team principal Oliver Oakes.

The Enstone-based outfit announced on Tuesday, May 6, that Oakes would be leaving his role with immediate effect, with executive advisor Flavio Briatore remaining in his role with the team whilst absorbing Oakes' duties as well.

In an official team statement, 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 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, 21, impressed during his brief stint with Williams last season – where he also stepped in midway through the year to replace Logan Sargeant.

The Argentine returns to the grid, eager to showcase his talents in his bid to cement a full-time race seat in F1.

Following the news from Alpine, Colapinto 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."

Colapinto will have just over a week to prepare for Imola as all eyes will be on Alpine at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix next weekend to see if their gamble will pay off.

The 21-year-old has been confirmed to race with the number 43 on the A525 alongside Gasly in Imola, followed by the Monaco Grand Prix, Spanish Grand Prix, Canadian Grand Prix and Austrian Grand Prix, with executive advisor Briatore set to decide his fate for the remainder of the season.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Formula 1 Alpine Franco Colapinto Jack Doohan Flavio Briatore Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix