Jack Doohan vê suas chances de voltar à F1 com a Alpine antes do final de 2025 reduzidas.

Jack Doohan teve suas esperanças de retorno à F1 com a Alpine frustradas para as últimas corridas de 2025.

Jack Doohan’s hopes of a Formula 1 comeback with Alpine before the end of 2025 have been thwarted as a potential route back in for the final three races has been closed off. Doohan was dropped by Alpine F1 boss Flavio Briatore after just six races in 2025 and replaced by Franco Colapinto, who Briatore brought into the Alpine fold from Williams over the winter.

Mudança de piloto e suas consequências

Colapinto being signed on a multi-year test and reserve deal last December undermined Doohan immediately and sent him into his first F1 season with intense scrutiny and uncertainty over his position, having only made his debut at the last minute in the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. When the change was finally made in May, it was widely felt as unfair on Doohan and premature given he had little time to make progress. Alpine originally framed it as an “evaluation” of Colapinto that left the door open to Doohan returning, although Briatore later contradicted this despite being quoted in the original press release.

Desempenho e expectativas

The notion of an evaluation, and a rotation of the seat, was also communicated to Doohan, who expected him to be put back in the car if Colapinto failed to perform to a high enough level. But even though Colapinto struggled for several races as lead driver Pierre Gasly scored points three more times, and Colapinto then crashed heavily in a Pirelli test heading into the summer break, Alpine opted against a further driver change. Only a few races ago, Briatore had suggested Alpine had made “mistakes” with its driver choices, and put too much pressure on Colapinto with the demand of being fast, not crashing, and scoring points.

Futuro incerto

Doohan is still Alpine’s reserve driver so could return to a race seat if either Gasly or Colapinto need to miss a grand prix but his focus is on his full-time F1 options. It is unclear what Alpine will do for 2026, and multiple sources have indicated a decision will be made in November. Doohan is understood to still consider an Alpine race seat his preferred option for next year, and wants to fight for his place, but Briatore told The Race in September that this decision was boiling down to Colapinto or Alpine reserve Paul Aron – who will drive for Alpine again in FP1 in Mexico.

Considerações finais

Doohan has also not been engaged in Alpine’s old-car testing programme as expected since being sidelined, with one planned test called off, and his only track running is understood to have been in junior formula cars at his own expense. This has amounted to Doohan effectively being completely sidelined, despite what was expected to be a rotation of the seat, e suas oportunidades limitadas para fazer seu próprio caso parecem improváveis de mudar.