Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; BWT Alpine driver Jack Doohan (AUS) races during FP1 practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Jack Doohan Handed Timeline to Prove Himself at Alpine

Originally posted on F1 on SI | By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 3:19 PM ET

Alpine driver Jack Doohan has been given more time to impress the racing team, as he is set to keep his seat until the halfway point of the season, when another review of his performances will likely come.

As the 2025 season approached, several insiders suggested that Alpine could drop Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix weekend if he failed to perform.

Reports from The Race indicate that Doohan has received backing internally from some senior officials, while Flavio Briatore is eager to give former Williams driver Franco Colapinto a race seat as soon as possible.

More News: Lando Norris says McLaren Are the Only Team with "Two Good Drivers"

Over the offseason, Alpine acquired Colapinto after the Argentinian driver impressed during a brief stint at Williams.

Williams moved on from Colapinto due to the hefty fee Alpine paid to break his contract, while already having the established line-up of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in place.

Given the price paid to get Colapinto, many within F1 viewed it as a matter of time before he replaced Doohan.

Weekend debrief with Pierre & Jack pic.twitter.com/2D1k1GhYSH
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) April 13, 2025

It would have been extremely harsh if Doohan had been let go after just a handful of races, and now he seemingly has the opportunity to make an impression on the team, or at the very least, raise his stock for other teams to acquire his services.

One of Doohan's biggest advocates, Team Principal Oliver Oakes, is arguably the most significant, especially given Briatore's strong preference for Colapinto.

More News: Liberty Media Struggling to get $180 Million Price Demand for F1 US TV Deal

“He's done a good job this weekend, and in general,” Oakes said.

“I know Japan FP1 caught him out a bit. But I think this weekend, particularly throughout qualifying, Q1, the first run of Q2 - I think the last run in Q2 he is a little bit disappointed, because it was just half a 10th [to getting to Q3]."

A challenging end to the race for Jack on the Hard tyre after a strong start.

We'll recap and reset before next week pic.twitter.com/QATaa8z2pW
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) April 13, 2025

“But then in the race as well, those first two stints, he was doing a really good job. At the end there, I think it was tricky. The safety car bunched everyone up. Competitiveness-wise, it was hard with those cars around you."

“But I think he's had a good weekend.”

More News: Ferrari Leader Explains the Car Set-Up Difference Between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton

Doohan has impressively kept pace with his much more experienced teammate, Pierre Gasly, scoring his first points of the season in Bahrain and demonstrating strong performance throughout the weekend.

While there have been a few crashes to start the season, Doohan's pace provides promise, especially if he can consistently extract the speed he has shown so far.

For more F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.

This article first appeared on F1 on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: