Pressure remains on Jack Doohan as Alpine confirm Franco Colapinto interest

Alpine F1 advisor Flavio Briatore has confirmed the French marque’s interest in Franco Colapinto, increasing the pressure on Jack Doohan.

Alpine’s driver line-up for next year appears to be set in stone, with Doohan alongside Pierre Gasly.

However, even before Doohan made his F1 debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, speculation was rife about whether the Australian would even get the opportunity to race for Alpine.

Briatore was reportedly interested in signing Colapinto, but that cooled after the Argentine’s run of crashes, combined with a hefty fee to prise him away from Williams.

Briatore said to German publication Auto Motor und Sport: “I’m interested in any driver who is fast.

“Colapinto surprised everyone, but we have contracts with Gasly, Doohan and [Paul] Aron for next season.

“If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it. Nevertheless, you always have to be careful when assessing drivers.

“In this sport, you quickly get hyped up after a good race. Then the price rises and suddenly we’re talking about 20 or 30 million dollars.

“The choice today is much greater than it used to be. Today, there are six to seven promising drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3.

“We want to concentrate on the good ones in our academy and no longer run around with a watering can.

“It will probably come down to three drivers: Aron, [Gabriele] Mini and [Victor] Martins.”

Doohan under immediate pressure to perform in 2025

Doohan will be under immediate pressure to deliver in 2025.

The 21-year-old got an early taste of life in F1 after making his grand prix debut in Abu Dhabi.

Doohan stepped in early in place of Esteban Ocon after the Frenchman agreed a deal with Briatore to move aside in Abu Dhabi.

In turn, Ocon would be allowed to participate in the post-season Abu Dhabi test.