Jack Doohan exits Alpine after short F1 spell
A brief window at the top
Jack Doohan’s Formula One career unfolded far faster than he had anticipated. After spending more than a decade working toward a full time seat, the Australian has now parted ways with Alpine following a difficult start to the 2025 season.
According to Australian Associated Press, the 22 year old and the team reached a mutual agreement to end his race driver role ahead of the 2026 FIA Formula One world championship. The move closes a chapter that began with high expectations but delivered limited opportunity.
Years of preparation
Doohan, the son of five time motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, had been part of Alpine’s development system for several seasons before his promotion. His progression included time as a test driver and reserve, before making his Formula One debut late in the previous year.
When Alpine confirmed him as a full time driver for 2025 alongside Pierre Gasly, the step was seen as the culmination of a long apprenticeship within the team’s structure.
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Results and setbacks
On track, the season proved unforgiving. Doohan made six race starts and failed to finish two of them. His strongest result was 13th place at the Chinese Grand Prix in March.
The year began with a crash on the opening lap of the rain affected Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Another accident followed in Miami, which ultimately became his final appearance for Alpine.
Amid broader struggles, Alpine replaced Doohan with Argentine driver Franco Colapinto as the team slipped to the bottom of the constructors’ standings.
Team context
Alpine ended the season last among the 10 Formula One teams. Pierre Gasly scored all 22 of the team’s points, while Colapinto completed 17 races without registering a finish inside the points.
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Although Colapinto finished ahead of Gasly on six occasions, the switch did little to change Alpine’s overall competitiveness, highlighting the wider challenges facing the team beyond a single driver change.
A driver who wanted to race
Following his removal from the race lineup, Doohan remained involved as a test and reserve driver. At the time, he acknowledged both pride and disappointment in his situation.
“I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula One driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream,” he said.
He added, “Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one to take because, as a professional driver, I want to be racing.”
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A pause rather than an ending
That desire to compete, rather than remain on the sidelines, is widely understood to have influenced his decision to leave. At 22, Doohan remains at an age where alternative paths in top level motorsport are realistic, even if a return to Formula One is not immediate.
For now, his exit from Alpine represents a pause in his Formula One ambitions rather than a definitive end, shaped by modern F1’s limited patience and relentless performance demands.
Sources: Australian Associated Press
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