Aussie F1 driver Jack Doohan has officially been dropped by Alpine, with back-up driver Franco Colapinto set to take his seat for the next five races of the season.
Rumours had been bubbling in recent days that the Australian was set to be dropped from the side, with Doohan, the son of motorbike legend Mick, failing to score a single point in Formula One this season.
The decision to rotate the 22-year-old for back-up driver Colapinto comes after Doohan crashed out of the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday at the first turn.
He had also struggled in Japan, crashing during the second practice session.
Rumours had been bubbling in recent days that Doohan had already been given the news by his team, but on Wednesday Alpine officially confirmed that they were looking into a different strategy for their driver line-up this season.
‘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,’ Alpine said in a statement.
‘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.’
Some fans had felt that the writing had been on the wall for Doohan when Alpine drafted Colapinto in as their reserve at the beginning of the season.
The Queensland-born racing driver had previously been questioned on the arrival of the 21-year-old Argentinian driver in January, but had issued a frosty response, claiming he was not feeling ‘undermined’ by Colapinto’s presence.
On Wednesday, Doohan also released a statement admitting that he was reeling from the decision but was grateful to the team for their support and would be working hard to get back onto the grid.
‘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,’ Doohan said.
‘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.’
More to follow…
