Alpine already ‘agreed’ who would replace Franco Colapinto if Flavio Briatore makes another change

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Franco Colapinto survived his initial five-round contract to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine, but the Argentine’s future continues to be uncertain in the summer break.

The 22-year-old took over from Doohan in May, as executive adviser Flavio Briatore opted to use the 2025 F1 season as a chance to work out who should drive for Alpine in 2026. But the decision to promote Colapinto has not yet paid off, leaving the door ajar for another change.

Briatore demoted Doohan back to a reserve driver role as the Australian did not earn a point through the first six rounds of the year, or on his debut in the final round of 2024. Yet, eight rounds later, Colapinto – who also started nine races with Williams last term – has no points.

Colapinto has also only managed to match Doohan’s best result so far this season, with both securing P13 finishes. The former came 13th in Monaco and Canada, while the latter earned P13 in China. Their average finishing positions so far this term are also only P13.6 and P14.7.

Alpine ‘agreed’ that Jack Doohan would return if Franco Colapinto gets dropped

So, questions about Colapinto’s future on the Formula 1 grid continue to loom over his head like a grey cloud in the summer break. The Buenos Aires native has never got comfortable in the A525, and may not get the time to adapt to the car before Briatore brings the axe down.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

According to The Race, Briatore is still keeping Alpine’s options open for the rest of this year. The only thing that matters for the Italian is results and Colapinto has even ‘seriously tested Alpine’s patience’ with his difficulties, which might potentially see Doohan return this term.

Doohan has been working in his role as a reserve driver on the belief that he would replace Colapinto if Briatore decides to make another change to Alpine’s line-up. When he was put on the shelf back in May, Alpine ‘agreed’ that Doohan would return if Colapinto is dropped.

There are no guarantees that Alpine would honour their supposed agreement with Doohan to replace Colapinto, though. Briatore could even offer Paul Aron a promotion, with the 21-year-old Estonian set to take part in three FP1 sessions with Alpine after the summer break.

Franco Colapinto must dial out his mistakes to stand a chance of staying at Alpine

Such has been the extent of Colapinto’s difficulties producing results that Doohan expected Alpine to recall him in Belgium, but that call never came. The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa was Colapinto’s seventh appearance for Alpine, yet would also yield the Argentine’s worst result.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan? All to know from girlfriend to dad

Alpine would only see Colapinto qualify P19 for the F1 Sprint, finish the Sprint in P19, qualify P17 for the Belgian GP and finish P19 at Spa after starting from the pit lane. Doohan had his worst result on his fifth appearance of the 2025 F1 season with P17 in the Saudi Arabian GP.

A P18 finish even followed last week, although Colapinto’s Hungarian Grand Prix was ruined by Alpine’s pit stop problem which derailed his race. It meant he hit the summer break with an uncertain future, nonetheless, as Alpine see Colapinto’s frequent errors as a big problem.

Colapinto must dial out his mistakes to stand a chance of staying at Alpine for the rest of the 2025 F1 season, should he still be in the A525 after the summer break. Colapinto crashed in qualifying on his Alpine debut at Imola, and has never truly seemed able to recover from it.