Written by Jiya Mahapatra, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Since the announcement that Esteban Ocon would be parting ways with the BWT Alpine F1 Team at the end of this season, team principal Bruno Famin has been under immense pressure to find the right replacement for the Frenchman.
Some have been speculating that Ocon will be replaced by a current driver on the grid, while others think the best solution would be a fresh, new driver with ties to the team.
Australian Jack Doohan is a strong contender for the Alpine seat. Last year, Doohan competed in the Formula 2 Championship with Invicta Virtuosi Racing and placed third, defeated only by Théo Pourchaire and Frederik Vesti.
Not only is Doohan the current reserve driver for Alpine, but he’s also a member of their academy, which helps to progress young drivers’ racing careers. Both of these factors mean that Doohan already has a strong relationship with Alpine, making him a viable choice to replace Ocon.
Doohan has also already had the chance to drive an Alpine F1 car, since he drove the A523 during the free practice sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last year. The fact that Alpine has given him multiple chances to catch a feel of their car over race weekends shows that they have a lot of faith in him, and may be preparing him for a full-time seat on the F1 grid.
On the other hand, former Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher is said to be another option for Ocon’s replacement. Haas let Schumacher go at the end of the 2022 season, but a number of people within the racing community have been hoping to see him jump back into an F1 seat for a while now.
Schumacher is currently the reserve driver for the Mercedes F1 Team, but is also well liked and respected by Alpine, which is clear from the fact that they’ve selected him to participate in this year’s 24 Hour Le Mans race for the Alpine hypercar team.
While Schumacher does have more experience in the turbulent and pressure-filled world of F1, some believe that he may not be the best fit due to the crash-filled nature of his time in F1.
In fact, in an interview with the Red Flags podcast, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner explained that if he was in Famin’s shoes, Schumacher wouldn’t be his first choice for the free seat.
“Alpine should have the money to get the best driver on the market. I think there are other people who are showing that they’re very good.”
Steiner’s first statement may be referring to other current drivers on the grid who have more experience than both Schumacher and Doohan, namely Carlos Sainz or Yuki Tsunoda. Neither driver has confirmed their seat for 2025 and may be looking at the free Alpine seat as an option.
Regardless, Famin will need to make an informed decision about who he chooses to replace Ocon at Alpine, seeing as the team is struggling to get strong results so far this season. He’ll be hoping to turn things around next year, and will need the right driver alongside Pierre Gasly to do so.
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