Jack Doohan is now considered highly unlikely to return to a Formula 1 race seat with Alpine for the F1 2026 season.
It comes after it emerged that the Australian driver’s ambitious plot to replace Franco Colapinto for the final three races of the current campaign collapsed.
Jack Doohan Alpine future uncertain after Franco Colapinto plot falls flat
Doohan was demoted by Alpine ahead of May’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix having failed to score a point across the opening six races of F1 2025, with Colapinto taking his seat alongside Pierre Gasly.
Despite impressing in a nine-race cameo with the Williams team last year, Colapinto has also struggled at Alpine and remains without a point ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore said in an interview last month that Alpine’s decision over Gasly’s teammate for F1 2026 is set to come down to a straight choice between Colapinto and Doohan’s fellow reserve driver Paul Aron.
Briatore went on to reveal that Alpine is only considering options from within its own driver pool for 2026, ruling out moves for eternal options like Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, who face uncertain futures at Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls respectively.
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As reported at the time by PlanetF1.com, Briatore’s comments about Alpine looking internally meant Doohan retained a slim chance of returning to a race seat for F1 2026.
It is understood that Briatore – who acts as Doohan’s manager – did not mention the Australian by name as the question put to him in the interview was related specifically to the futures of Colapinto and Aron.
Doohan is now considered highly unlikely to reclaim an Alpine race seat for next season after an ambitious bid to return for the final three races of 2025 reportedly collapsing.
As reported by The Race, Doohan and his entourage had managed to secure financial backing to boost his hopes of a racing comeback with Alpine before the end of this season.
It came after Doohan had reportedly been informed by the team ‘on multiple occasions’ since the summer break that it would be possible for him to replace Colapinto provided he could bring sponsorship to the team and the Argentine’s struggles continued.
However, it is said that Colapinto is now expected to complete the 2025 season after key sponsor Mercado Libre secured a short-term deal with Alpine for the United States, Mexican and Brazilian grands prix.
That arrangement is set to secure Colapinto’s seat for the remainder of this campaign.
The former Williams driver has shown improved pace in recent weeks, outqualifying Gasly at three of the last five rounds.
Although it is reported that Doohan continues to view an Alpine race seat as his main option for next season, PlanetF1.com understands that the likelihood of that situation materialising is now increasingly remote.
Doohan has continued to attend races with Alpine in his capacity as a reserve driver since losing his seat to Colapinto more than five months ago.
Yet unlike Colapinto, who carried out a number of TPC [Testing of Previous Car] outings at the start of 2025, Doohan has not remained fresh during his time away from a race seat.
One planned TPC outing for Doohan was called off, while it’s been reported that his seat time in the team’s simulator at Enstone has also been restricted.
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As revealed by PlanetF1.com in July, Doohan emerged as a potential option for the incoming Cadillac F1 team for 2026 after his father, the motorcycling legend Mick Doohan, was spotted in conversation with Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon at the British Grand Prix.
Cadillac F1 went on to confirm Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the team’s race drivers in August ahead of its debut season in F1 2026.
With the American outfit yet to name an official reserve driver for next season, it is unclear if Doohan remains in contention for an F1 lifeline with Cadillac.
Colton Herta, the IndyCar driver, joined Cadillac in a test role last month and will compete in the F2 feeder series in 2026 as he targets a future F1 seat.
However, with Herta currently lacking the required Super Licence points for drivers to compete in F1, Cadillac is expected to sign a reserve driver ahead of next season.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch
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