has just five races to prove his worth with , with the Argentine starlet confirmed to replace at the next weekend. The under-fire Australian failed to score a point in his first six weekends with the Enstone-based team. Doohan's departure follows in line with pre-season reporting. Colapinto was signed to a reserve driver role on a long-term contract, but Flavio Briatore made it no secret that he admired the 20-year-old's talent.

This was a brutal reality for the Australian rookie, who started his debut campaign on the back foot from race one. While many believe that Doohan deserved more time, the 22-year-old's results have been underwhelming. He crashed on the opening lap in Miami last time out after out-qualifying team-mate Pierre Gasly for the first time this season. He is one of four drivers to fail to score points in the first six rounds of the campaign.

After the race in Miami, reports emerged explaining that a driver swap had already been communicated to the team. Alpine have now confirmed the news, but Colapinto's contract covers only the next five races, leaving the door open for Alpine to test out other drivers ahead of the 2026 technical regulation changes.

One of the leading alternatives for Briatore's squad is Paul Aron. The former Mercedes junior driver joined the team's reserve ranks along with Colapinto over the winter following an impressive Formula Two campaign in 2024, and he has been present trackside throughout 2025.

The French constructor also has Mick Schumacher in their ranks, albeit in their World Endurance Championship squad. The son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was linked with their vacant seat in 2024 before Doohan was snapped up, and is still targeting a return to the F1 grid. At Alpine, the changes are going beyond the drivers, too. Team principal Oliver Oakes resigned from his position on Tuesday in a shock announcement.

"Having reviewed the opening races of the season, we have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races," Briatore said on Wednesday. "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.

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. The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options."