Following the dismissal of Oliver Oakes as Alpine team principal, the team announced that Franco Colapinto will be their new driver alongside Pierre Gasly, moving Jack Doohan to a reserve role.
The news many Formula 1 (F1) fans were waiting for—especially from the Latin American community—is now official: Franco Colapinto is returning to the driver lineup of the top tier of motorsport. Alpine made the announcement this Wednesday, stating that the Argentine driver will take Jack Doohan’s seat.
A five-race trial for Colapinto
This news came shortly after the French team announced the dismissal of team principal Oliver Oakes and the immediate appointment of Flavio Briatore to take over the role at Alpine. Oakes was the main supporter of Doohan, but following his resignation, Colapinto will step in as the main driver alongside Pierre Gasly, with Doohan moving to a reserve position.
The 21-year-old’s return to F1 will begin at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix (GP), where he is guaranteed five races, after which his seat in F1 may rotate, according to Alpine. This means Colapinto will drive at least until the Austrian GP.
The Argentine already has F1 experience
This change had been anticipated ever since Doohan showed inconsistency since his F1 debut, experiencing frequent issues with his car throughout the season. Since Colapinto was already Alpine’s reserve driver, many speculated that his promotion was imminent.
“I cannot wait to get started.”
Looking forward to next weekend in Imola 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/oALDwFSnFC
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) May 7, 2025
Support for the Argentine also stems from the fact that Colapinto already has F1 experience, having driven in the second half of the 2024 season when he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams. He managed to score points in Azerbaijan and Austin, although he also suffered two crashes during that stint with Williams. Nonetheless, Colapinto is expected to deliver better results than Doohan.
Cover photo: X (@FranColapinto)
