Jack Doohan gets huge update on F1 return hopes after Franco Colapinto controversy

Jack Doohan will reportedly not get the chance to drive for Alpine during the final three rounds of the 2025 F1 season. The Australian had hoped to get a second chance behind the wheel of the A525 after losing his seat to Franco Colapinto earlier this year.

Doohan was called up to replace Esteban Ocon at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year ahead of his first full-time F1 season in 2025. Still, the 22-year-old was afforded just six rounds of the campaign to impress before he was dropped ahead of the race in Imola to make room for Colapinto.

Initially, Alpine announced the move as a five-race trial for Colapinto and remained open, at least publicly, to the idea of putting Doohan back in the car. According to a report from The Race, one of the scenarios discussed between the Gold Coast-born racer and team bosses involved him stepping in for the final three races of the campaign.

However, that is now off the table, despite Doohan reportedly finding the desired financial backing to make the comeback possible. Alpine announced that Mercado Libre, one of Colapinto's biggest backers, will have its branding on the car for the next two races, and funding is believed to have been committed for the remainder of the campaign.

Doohan, meanwhile, has been effectively pushed aside within the Alpine team. His simulator work has been limited, and he has been shut out of the organisation's TPC programme, with Paul Aron now ahead of him in the pecking order. His hopes of an F1 comeback are now slim.

While Doohan's time with Alpine is seemingly coming to an end, Colapinto is still fighting to confirm his long-term future. The Argentine starlet is still waiting for his first points since returning to the F1 grid, and angered team bosses by ignoring orders from the pit wall in Austin.

Colapinto was told to hold position behind team-mate Pierre Gasly with a handful of laps remaining, but opted to make a lunge at Turn One, snatching the position away from the Frenchman. This was not well-received by Steve Nielsen and Flavio Briatore.

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"The team situation on Sunday has been discussed internally, and it is clear that instructions by the team must always be followed, no matter what," Colapinto said ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.

"We are all together, and we are all working towards the same goal to keep getting better with each session and each race weekend. I am looking ahead now to Mexico City, where the atmosphere is always amazing.

"It will be great to have so much support over the weekend, and although the high altitude of the circuit adds an additional challenge, I am excited to get back out on track in front of such an incredible crowd."