Briatore's Call Ends Doohan's Alpine F1 Dream

Jack Doohan's Formula 1 aspirations with Alpine were shattered by a single phone call from Flavio Briatore, informing him he was being replaced by Franco Colapinto. The moment, captured by Netflix's Drive to Survive, highlighted the brutal reality of F1's driver market, where financial backing and immediate team politics can override a development driver's long-term promise.

Why it matters:

Doohan's swift exit after just six races underscores the precarious position of reserve drivers and the intense pressure for immediate results in the midfield. It also showcases the decisive, often ruthless, management style of Flavio Briatore, whose return to a leadership role at Alpine has brought significant personnel changes and a focus on performance—and sponsorship—above sentiment.

The details:

• Doohan, Alpine's 2024 reserve driver, was promoted to a race seat for 2025 and made an early debut in the final race of 2024 after Esteban Ocon's early departure.
• His initial outings were underwhelming (P15 in his debut race), failing to score points while teammate Pierre Gasly managed only seven in the same six-race period in 2025.
• Alpine's January 2025 signing of Franco Colapinto—a driver with significant financial backing—as a reserve signaled impending change, despite Doohan's official contract.
• The pivotal moment came after the Miami Grand Prix when Briatore called to say, "We've decided to take Colapinto for the next race."
• In the Drive to Survive footage, Doohan expressed frustration that media speculation about his seat had proven correct, stating, "I thought that it was all bullshit, and now they get to be right. That's what annoys me the most."
• Colapinto, despite also failing to score a point in his 18 races in 2025, retained the seat for 2026, highlighting factors beyond pure race results in the decision.

What's next:

The fallout from Briatore's decision sets both drivers on divergent paths for the 2026 season.

• Franco Colapinto remains as Pierre Gasly's teammate at Alpine but is now acutely aware of Briatore's exacting standards, having been bluntly told after a mistake, "if you break the car... it's my mistake too."
• Jack Doohan has landed a reserve driver role with the Haas F1 Team, giving him a new platform to rebuild his reputation and pursue another opportunity.
• The episode serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics within F1 teams, where executive decisions can rapidly alter career trajectories, and securing a seat requires blending performance, potential, and commercial appeal.