Jack Doohan’s rookie Formula 1 season was supposed to be a new chapter for Alpine and a breakthrough for the Australian talent. Instead, it’s become a high-speed case study in how unstable leadership and desperate decision-making can derail a young driver’s career before it even begins.
A Fractured Debut: Doohan’s Underwhelming Results
Doohan entered the 2025 season as Alpine’s full-time driver after a promising stint as reserve. But six races in, he’s yet to score a single point. While that sounds damning at first glance, deeper context tells a more complicated story.
Doohan’s best finish has been P13, but those watching closely will note that Alpine itself is floundering. The A525 chassis has been nowhere near the midfield fight. In terms of pace, Doohan has actually been within a respectable 0.2–0.3s of teammate Pierre Gasly in qualifying trim according to analyses, sometimes even ahead. In race conditions, the team has failed to give either driver much to work with, both have DNF’d twice, and Gasly’s highest finish is a P7 in Bahrain.
Yet despite these circumstances, Doohan is now set to be replaced by reserve driver Franco Colapinto at Imola.
The Real Story: Alpine’s House of Cards
This is not a normal driver swap. It’s the result of deep-rooted chaos behind the scenes. Alpine has now gone through four team principals in five years. The most recent, Oliver Oakes, abruptly resigned after the Miami GP, reportedly due to internal disagreements about the team’s future direction, and specifically, the push to promote Colapinto.
Oakes’ resignation has triggered a wave of backlash and speculation. Many fans see this as another example of Alpine’s broken culture. Every single Alpine driver in the last few years has either left early, been sacked, or demoted. Alonso, Ocon, Piastri (who luckily never had to drive for the team), and now Doohan have all been caught in the churn of a team seemingly allergic to long-term planning.
Enter Flavio Briatore: A Comeback No One Asked For
Making matters more volatile, Flavio Briatore, yes the same Briatore who was banned for orchestrating “Crashgate” in 2008, is back in charge of Alpine’s F1 operations. The optics are staggering. From lifetime ban to team boss redux, Briatore’s return is as controversial as it is surreal.
Alpine fans are rightly skeptical. This is the man who fixed a race and got caught. How is this the answer? Many feel that this move signals desperation more than vision. Briatore has wasted no time stirring things up, rumors suggest he’s the driving force behind Colapinto’s sudden promotion.
Colapinto’s Opportunity (and Political Backing)
To be fair, Franco Colapinto is a promising talent. He impressed after he substituted in after Williams released American driver Logan Sargeant for the final nine races last year, showing flashes of brilliance in his time with Williams. His speed is not in question (5 points in 9 races in an underperforming car), but the timing of his promotion is.
From the outside, it feels engineered. Canal+ reported that Briatore was personally involved in orchestrating the switch. The optics? This isn’t performance-based, it’s politics, plain and simple.
Doohan Deserved More
The frustrating part is that Doohan was never given a fair shot. He’s six races into a debut season in a car that’s arguably the second-worst on the grid. Replacing him now feels more like scapegoating than strategic development.
Multiple fans have pointed out that Doohan was likely developing with the long game in mind. He’s had one bad crash in Miami and a penalty-plagued China, but nothing egregious. Meanwhile, the team has provided neither competitive equipment nor stable leadership. If Alpine wanted results, they should’ve fixed the car before fixing the driver in our opinion.
A Broken Trust with Fans and Drivers
Perhaps the most damaging outcome of this drama isn’t even Doohan’s benching, it’s Alpine’s growing reputation as the most unstable operation in the paddock. “Watford of F1” memes now populate the social web, poking fun at Alpine’s revolving door of leadership and chaotic planning.
Trust, both internally and externally, is evaporating. Future driver prospects will think twice about tying their hopes to a team that tosses away rookies mid-season. Sponsors and fans are watching the dysfunction unfold in real time, and many are asking the same question: if this is how Alpine handles adversity, how can they ever hope to win?
What’s Next for Doohan?
There’s still hope for Doohan. His talent is undeniable, and if anything, this ordeal has generated more sympathy than criticism. Fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri voiced support for him, acknowledging the brutal nature of F1’s politics.
If Doohan can stay close to the Alpine program, or land a better opportunity elsewhere, he may yet rise. But for now, he becomes the latest casualty of Alpine’s identity crisis.