Written by Caitlyn Gordon, Edited by Julia Bissessar
With suspicions swirling about Jack Doohan’s seat at Alpine F1 Team and a potential replacement by reserve driver Franco Colapinto, Doohan speaks his mind.
Jack Doohan is looking to ‘embrace’ the pressure of Franco Colapinto’s arrival, insisting the Argentinian joining isn’t ‘undermining’ Doohan’s position.
Franco Colapinto was subbed in for Logan Sargeant after the American was axed from Williams during the second half of the 2024 F1 season.With only half a season of F2 under his belt, Colapnito was promoted and thrusted into the limelight.
Jumping into an F1 car in Monza, Colapinto became the talking point on the weekend, with the 21-year-old qualifying 18th, however, climbed up the grid and finished in 12th.
The following race in Azerbaijan saw Colapinto secure his first set of points, finishing in eighth, just under two seconds behind his teammate Alex Albon. He later secured another point in the United States which would be the last of the season.
Despite his performance and rumours about top teams looking to sign Colapinto for 2025, no contract was signed and he was subsequently left without a seat for the following season. Jack Doohan, on the other hand, had been promoted to an F1 seat in Alpine, becoming the final piece in the 2025 F1 seat jigsaw.
During the off-season Colapinto was announced as Alpine’s reserve driver in a ‘multi-year contract’, sharing duties alongside F2 challenger Paul Aron. The arrival sparked debate over the future of Doohan before the season had even gotten underway.
Speaking with the media at the F1 75 event on Tuesday, the Australian was asked about Colapinto’s arrival and what it could mean for his future. Looking to put the rumours to bed, Doohan clarified Colapinto’s status in the team:
“I’ve been told he's a reserve driver.”
“I think regardless, you’re one of 20 Formula 1 drivers in the world,” he added. “I know when I was in a go-kart, Formula 3, Formula 2… I would do anything to be in Formula 1 and sacrifice everything.”
“Anyone that’s performing well is always going to have pressure on their shoulders because you’re in such a cutthroat sport. Whatever pressure there may be, I look forward to enjoying that, embracing that,” Doohan continued.
Doohan was then asked if he felt ‘undermined’ by the arrival of Colapinto.
"I was [also] a 21-year-old reserve driver last year with a long-term contract. But no, I don't feel undermined. Maybe I should, I don’t know. I don’t really understand how that’s a question, but definitely not."
Looking ahead to his 2025 season, Doohan anticipates to maximise his time in Bahrain, focusing on his season ahead:
“We’ll find out very quickly where the car is in Bahrain, and from there it will be maximising every inch of our car – the aero, the power unit, ensure that I’m getting everything out of the car to [reach] those high points positions.
“I just want to be maximising that and ensuring our car for 2026 and this new generation is in a good window to ensure that this goal we all have in mind – Oli [Oakes], Flavio [Briatore], the whole team – of getting back to the front is there.”
Pre-season testing will commence on February 27th in Bahrain with three-days set to prepare both teams and drivers for the race opening on March 16th in Australia.
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