Last Updated on February 6 2025, 10:36 am

Colapinto makes his debut in an Alpine F1 car – Franco Colapinto has officially taken his first steps in a Formula One car with Alpine, marking a significant milestone in his young career. The Argentinian, who was recently announced as the French team’s reserve driver for the 2024 season, has now completed his first laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. His rapid integration into Alpine has already fuelled speculation about a possible race seat in the near future.

Barcelona has been a hive of activity in recent days, with several teams conducting various tests at the Spanish circuit. Ferrari recently completed a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session, while McLaren and Ferrari joined forces for a Pirelli tyre test. Alpine also took part in private testing, with Williams’ rising star Colapinto in the cockpit of the A523.

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Doohan’s seat under threat?

Colapinto’s rapid rise through the Alpine ranks has naturally led to questions about the future of fellow reserve driver Jack Doohan. The Australian, who has been part of Alpine’s driver academy for several years, was also present at the Barcelona test and took part in his own TPC session. However, the fact that Colapinto was given the opportunity to test alongside him has fuelled rumours of Doohan’s long-term prospects with the team.

The pair shared riding duties on Alpine’s 2023 challenger, the A523, which was painted in an all-black test livery with pink sponsor decals from BWT. Long tipped as a potential Alpine driver, Doohan now finds himself under increasing pressure, especially as Colapinto’s stock continues to rise.

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Briatore’s social media post sparks controversy

Adding fuel to the fire was Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore, who inadvertently fuelled speculation by sharing footage of Colapinto’s test on social media. The Italian businessman, known for his influential presence in Formula One, posted an Instagram story showing the 20-year-old driver getting into the Alpine in the team’s garage.

What made Briatore’s post particularly intriguing was that Alpine itself had not released any official information about Colapinto’s test. While the team was under no obligation to do so, Briatore’s decision to publicly highlight Colapinto’s ride – rather than Doohan’s – has raised eyebrows.

Given that Colapinto is only one of three official reserve drivers, the decision to highlight his involvement over Doohan’s has only added to speculation that Alpine may be considering a future reshuffle of its driver line-up.

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Growing rivalry for Alpine’s future

For Doohan, the latest development is yet another challenge in his quest for a full-time F1 seat. The 21-year-old Australian has worked tirelessly to prove his worth within the Alpine set-up, but with Colapinto now firmly in the picture, his position as the team’s leading reserve driver appears to be under threat.

Colapinto, meanwhile, has impressed with his performances in the junior categories, particularly in the second half of last season with Williams’ Formula 2 programme. His signing with Alpine came as something of a surprise, given his pre-existing links with Williams, but his presence in the French team’s testing programme suggests that he is being seriously considered as a future F1 contender.

With Alpine’s current race drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, both under contract for the time being, there is no immediate race seat available. However, if Colapinto continues to perform well in testing and Doohan fails to maintain his position, Alpine may have a difficult decision to make regarding their reserve driver hierarchy.

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What next for Doohan and Colapinto?

For the time being both drivers will continue in their respective roles within the Alpine driver programme. Doohan remains in contention for future opportunities and is likely to take part in further testing as the season progresses. However, with Briatore publicly backing Colapinto and his rapid integration into the team, the pressure is undoubtedly mounting on the Australian.

With the F1 season yet to begin, Alpine’s reserve driver situation is already a hot topic of discussion. If Colapinto’s presence continues to overshadow Doohan, it could force Alpine to reassess its future plans sooner than expected. As the team enters a pivotal season, the battle between Doohan and Colapinto could be one of the most intriguing subplots to watch.

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MORE F1 NEWS – F1 to become English based sport with the exception of Ferrari

Ferrari are the oldest and most successful Formula One team all time, yet they may soon become the only team based outside the English motorsports valley, where until recently seven of the F1 teams were based. Grand Prix racing, where F1 finds its roots, began in France as early as 1894 and quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next for the ‘Big Prize’ (Grand Prix), into endurance tests for both car and driver.

Open road racing though took its toll as the routes upon which the GP cars raced, remained unmodified for the high speed machines and were suitable only for the sedentary machinery which were owned by the general public. Spectators were unprotected for the speeding machines and their naivety often saw them standing on the racing routes, often not taking proper attention and being hit by the racers which caused deaths for both the drivers and their audience.

Great Britain was the first European country to ban racing on public roads and to this end the speed freaks decided to build a purpose built venue called Brooklands which opened in 1907. This was an elliptic oval circuit and the first to deploy steep banking to allow the drivers to travel at greater speeds, although the penalty for getting it wrong was the car and driver may fly outside the top of the banking ending 30 feet up in a tree, but more often just simply dead…READ MORE ON THIS STORY