Photo: Monza
Franco Colapinto says he is “as ready as possible” for his Formula 1 race return with Alpine, taking over Jack Doohan’s seat, after testing with the team.
A month ago, Alpine and Williams conducted a two-day test at Monza using their 2023 chassis, which is regulated via F1’s Testing of Previous Cars programme.
Williams ran its juniors Luke Browning and Victor Martins, while Alpine evaluated its reserve drivers Paul Aron and Colapinto. At the time, Doohan was already coming under pressure and it has now been confirmed that for the next five rounds he will swap places with Colapinto before Alpine reviews its driver line-up again ahead of July’s British Grand Prix.
“Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races,” said Colapinto, who contested nine grands prix with Williams last year before switching to Alpine on a multi-year deal.
“I will work hard with the team to prepare for the next race in Imola and the upcoming triple-header, which will no doubt be intense and a big challenge for everyone. I have stayed sharp, and I am as ready as possible with the team’s race support testing programme, as well as on the simulator at Enstone. I will do my best to get up to speed quickly and give it my all to deliver the best possible results alongside Pierre [Gasly].”
Doohan, who has failed to score in his seven grands prix with Alpine and is returning to a reserve driver role he previously held through 2023 and ’24, commented: “This latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing. That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those. For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.”
Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive director who as of this week is now assuming team principal responsibilities too, explained that rotating Colapinto and Doohan now will help the make a more informed decision about its 2026 line-up.
“With the field being so closely matched this year, and with a competitive car, which the team has drastically improved in the past 12 months, we are in a position where we see the need to rotate our line-up,” he said.
“We also know the 2026 season will be an important one for the team and having a complete and fair assessment of the drivers this season is the right thing to do in order to maximise our ambitions next year. We continue to support Jack at the team, as he has acted in a very professional manner in his role as a race driver so far this season.”