F1 team announces driver change for 2026 season

January 13, 2026 Oliver Obel

As Formula 1 teams begin positioning themselves for sweeping technical changes in 2026, Alpine has confirmed a significant adjustment to its driver lineup following a difficult recent period.

The French manufacturer announced it will not retain Jack Doohan as a race driver beyond the 2025 season, bringing an end to the Australian’s progression within its academy system.

According to a statement released by the team, the decision was reached by mutual consent, allowing Doohan to explore opportunities elsewhere on the grid or beyond it. Alpine also acknowledged his role in a milestone moment for its junior programme, noting that Doohan became the first graduate of its academy to step into a race seat when he debuted at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Doohan was promoted to a full-time role for the 2025 campaign alongside Pierre Gasly after Esteban Ocon departed for Haas at the end of the previous season. However, the move proved challenging. Across six race starts, Alpine failed to score points with Doohan in the car, and an opening-lap retirement in Miami highlighted a season that never gained momentum.

Midway through the year, the team elected to make a change, drafting in Franco Colapinto as part of a broader evaluation of its future direction. Colapinto is now expected to partner Gasly when the new regulations come into force in 2026.

Reflecting on the setback at the time, Doohan described the moment as difficult but insisted he remained focused on contributing where possible. In the weeks that followed, he shared a series of uncaptioned images from the season on social media, prompting messages of support from team personnel and members of the wider motorsport community reactions that, in hindsight, underscored the likelihood of his departure.

In formally confirming the split, Alpine thanked Doohan for his work across four years with the organisation and wished him well as he considers the next stage of his career. The move closes a chapter for both sides as the team looks to stabilise its driver programme ahead of one of Formula 1’s most significant technical resets in decades.

Sources: Alpine F1 Team statement, Getty Images, social media posts