Alpine are reportedly set to part ways with Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix, with Franco Colapinto in line for a debut in two weeks’ time in Imola. The Australian racer crashed on the opening lap in the Magic City following contact with Liam Lawson. Doohan headed into the Miami race weekend in desperate need of a clean run, but after a team error put him out of the sprint shootout in SQ1, his chances of scoring his first points on Saturday were wiped out.

Things didn’t get much better in the Grand Prix, either. The under-fire Australian positioned himself on the inside heading into Turn One, but Lawson opted to dart in between Doohan and the car on the outside, pinching the Alpine driver at the apex. On the corner exit, he understeered into the sidepod of the Racing Bulls car, sparking contact that ultimately ended his race.

According to a report from RacingNews365, a driver swap is ‘close to being finalised’ with reserve driver Colapinto in line for a call-up. The Argentine starlet signed from Williams earlier in the year on a long-term contract, with Flavio Briatore a known admirer of the 20-year-old’s ability.

This is a brutal development for Doohan, who was rumoured before the start of the season to have just five or six races to prove his worth to the Alpine leadership. Rumours started heading into the Miami GP weekend that the 22-year-old would be replaced in Imola, but they were denied by team principal Oliver Oakes.

“I saw it, like everyone else,” Oakes explained. “I think it was a sponsor from Argentina off-camera giving his view on Franco, when he’s going to be in the car. I’m sure there’s a lot of people in Argentina who’d like him in the car this Sunday.

“We’ve been pretty open as a team that that’s just noise "Jack needs to continue doing a good job. But it’s natural that there’s always speculation there."

Oakes was then asked whether or not Doohan would be in the car at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He replied: “Yeah, as it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre [Gasly]. We’ve been pretty clear on that. We always evaluate, but yeah - today, that is the case.”

While this news will be a brutal blow for Doohan, it represents a second chance for Colapinto. The Pilar-born driver showed immense pace during his stand-in run with Williams in 2024, but was unable to secure a full-time seat off the back of those performances.