The Renault owned Formula One team, Alpine are undergoing a huge transformation at present. Having appointed controversial F1 figure Flavio Briatore as a ‘super consultant’ early last year, the team has undergone a senior management change with the appointment of Oliver Oakes as the new principal in the autumn.
Further Renault will pull of of their historic role as an F1 power unit supplier in 2026 in a further attempt to cut costs and improve efficiency of resources. A deal to become a Mercedes’ customer has been signed to receive power units and associated other aspects of the car’s engineering.
Alpine finishes last year well, with a doubt podium finish in Brazil and with Gasly finishing a worthy fifth in Qatar and seventh in the Abu Dhabi season finale. The team claimed to have engineered a whole new car late in 2024, which was the reason for their leap forward in performance.
Alpine chaos in 2024
The previous boss at Alpine had caused uproar when he publicly criticised his driver Esteban Ocon during the opening laps of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. Threats of “consequences” were aired on French TV Canal+ as Bruno Famin ranted over Ocon’s collision with his team mate.
Before the next Grand Prix weekend, Ocon and the team announced they would be parting company the end of the year, and Flavio Briatore went into full sell mode to Carlos Sainz. Yet Sainz appeared to believe the chaos at Alpine was not where he wanted to be and decided against the French outfits offer, rejecting world team Audi at the same time.
Jack Doohan was announced as Ocon’s replacement following the F1 summer break, and was offered to entire race weekend in the Alpine of Ocon’s for the final outing too the year. Thethought process was this would give him a head start in familiarising himself in an F1 car, before taking up his full time duties in the new year.
Yet Doohan did not cover himself with glory, qualifying plumb last and finishing one place behind the final runner, Kevin Magnussen, who had his race compromised by the Haas F1 team. Meanwhile Gasly finished seventh in a well fought race. Doohan looked to be improving across the weekend as the gap to his team mate fell during each of the practice sessions.
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Doohan dismal performance in Abu Dhabi
Yet come qualifying, Jack was over half a second off his team mate in Q1, failing to make it out of the session as Gasly went on to qualify in P6. The problem for Doohan is not long after Alpine announcing him as a permanent driver for 2025, onto the scene came certain Franco Colapinto.
The young Argentinian was parachuted into the Williams team in Monza, replacing the hapless Logan Sargeant who was pointless after fifteen rounds of the year. Colapinto made an immediate impression ruing close to his experienced team mate and scoring points in two of his first four F1 weekends despite the Williams car rivalling Sauber for bottom of the grid status.
Franco was suddenly the talk of the paddock, wit even Christian Horner meeting with Williams boss James Vowles to enquire of his drivers’ availability as a replacement for Sergio Perez. Yet Colapinto blotted his copy book over the final three Grand Prix of the year, crashing heavily twice in Brazil and again in Las Vegas, before being forced to retire the car in both Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The Colapinto band wagon was temporary halted as the final seats at Red Bull and their sister team were filled internally. Yet Flavio Briatore continued to express an interest in the young Argentinian who may prove a better competitor than Doohan and brings oodles more cash than the Aussie from his substantial South American backers.
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Jack Doohan is managed by Flavio and yet this appears no guarantee of him competing this season as a front line driver for the team. When asked if Doohan was likely to complete the year with Alpine, Briatore was his usual blunt self replying: “The only certain thing is death. We start the year with Pierre and Jack, I guarantee it. After that, we’ll see during the season.”
Briatore continued explaining his job was to bring the best results for the team and that “everyone works for just two people. And if there is a driver who is not making progress, who is not bringing results, he will be changed.”
Even before the Colapinto to Alpine rumours emerged, paddock reports claimed that Doohan’s contract with Alpine was guaranteed for just the first five race weekends of the year. Now with Alpine having signed the Argentinian as their reserve driver, the pressure mounts on Doohan as his replacement will be very visible each race weekend.
There has been a seismic shift in Formula One and its new of young drivers. For years even double champions in F3 and F2 have failed to be offered an opportunity in F1. Franz Tost who oversaw the Red Bull young driver programme as head of the sister team repeatedly claimed that a driver new to Formula One requires three years experience before they can be properly assessed.
James Vowles backs Franco to race this year
This appears to be have a stumbling block for many of the F1 teams, who can’t afford to carry a passenger for such an extended period of time. Suddenly in 2025, 25% of the grid will be made cup of drivers without a full time contract to drive in F1 previously.
This number rises to 6 of the 20 if Liam Lawson is included as he merely replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the final six weekends of last year. Doohan will not get the Tosdt recommended three seasons to prove himself and could be even sidelined come the Miami Grand Prix over the first weekend of May.
Colapinto’s old Williams team boss, James Vowles, appears to believe his protege will be racing this year, given his comments following the alpine announcement. “We believe this agreement with Alpine represents Franco’s best chance of securing a race seat in 2025 or 2026” – not ruling this year out at all.”
Whilst the shine around Franco’s dramatic arrival in F1 was diminished somewhat with his late season crashes and retirements, his pace is undeniable. And in Formula One a driver can learn to improve his race craft, as did Max Verstappen, but raw speed is an innate ability which mostly cannot be taught.
With Alpine permanently starved of funds by Renault over the years, Colapinto’s huge financial backing could represent as much as 20% of the team’s cost cap budget of 2025. Unless Doohan challenges Gasly from the get go, his F1 career will likely be short. Is Jack Doohan doomed before he even properly gets going?
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Why Aston Martin sacked their team principal
Aston Martin have announced the removal of the team principal, Mike Krack, who will be replaced by CEO Andy Cowell who will perform duel roles. Krack was appointed to lead the Silverstone based team following the dismissal of Otmar Schafnaeur who left to become team principal of Alpine back in January 2022.
For many the appointment of the Luxembourg born engineer who had spent his life working for the BMW racing programme, was surprising at the time. The AMR22 was conceived and built by Krack’s predecessor and it was the following season in 2023 the appointment of the new team boss appeared to be paying dividends.
Aston Martin had the second quickest car in the early season events, with Fernando Alonso claiming seven podiums across the first eight race weekends of the year. Yet under Krack, this was as good as it was to get, with the in season development inn 2023 failing to keep the team at the front of the grid…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
