Jack Doohan will get “fair crack” despite Franco Colapinto arrival

Alpine have insisted that Jack Doohan will get a “fair crack” to impress in F1 2025 despite Franco Colapinto’s arrival.

Earlier this month Alpine announced they had agreed a deal with Williams to sign Colapinto on a multi-year contract that will see him act as the team’s reserve driver for the upcoming 2025 season.

The 21-year-old Argentinian will be back-up for Pierre Gasly and Doohan, who is set to contest his first full F1 season this year. Doohan finished 15th as he made his debut at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December after Alpine and Esteban Ocon agreed to part ways early.

Colapinto’s signing will increase pressure on Doohan, the son of five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan, to deliver from the off in his rookie campaign amid mounting speculation the Australian could be ditched after only a handful of races.

But Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes stressed Doohan, who has been promoted into a race seat after spending three years as the team’s reserve, has the French squad’s full backing.

"It's been a little bit harsh on Jack, some of the stuff that was written by the keyboard warriors there, and he's getting his fair crack at it next year,” Oakes told the James Allen on F1 podcast.

"And I think the intention there isn't to put [pressure] on his shoulders. It's genuinely to give the team options further down the line. And for me F1 is fine margins.

“There's a load of people who are depending on a driver to deliver each weekend, and we need to make sure we've got the best drivers in the race car, not just now, but also in the future.”

Colapinto made an instant impression in F1 thanks to his early performances as a replacement for the struggling Logan Sargeant at Williams.

But several big crashes towards the end of the year hampered his chances of landing a full-time drive for 2025.

“I think Franco made a great first impression with Williams. I think it was clear to see that he probably tried a bit too hard at the end there,” Oakes said of Colapinto.

"How much of that was the situation he was in, where he didn't have a seat confirmed and was trying to over-impress, and how much of that was a compromise on parts on the car, that's hard to calculate. But I think the crux is he made a strong impression with the speed he showed.

"It's great to have that roster of two young drivers in Paul and Franco there waiting in the wings, because it's not just about 2025; 2026, 2027 is around the corner, and it's hard in F1 to plan what's going to happen and what drivers you're going to have to go in the car.

"For us, it just keeps everyone honest in terms of how they're performing and gives us options."