Bottas casts Doohan v Colapinto verdict in ‘promising’ assessment

Michelle Foster
Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan

Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan are fighting for the F1 2025 Alpine seat

Rumoured to be on the verge of being replaced already, Valtteri Bottas says Jack Doohan has the chance to prove himself and he believes he’ll do it.

Although Doohan was confirmed as an Alpine driver in August last year, the Australian’s seat is under threat after Alpine signed 2024 rookie sensation Franco Colapinto as reserve driver.

Valtteri Bottas weighs in on Franco Colapinto v Jack Doohan

The Argentinean made the step up from Formula 2 to Formula 1 in 2024, replacing the beleaguered Logan Sargeant at Williams and within two races did what the American could not – he scored points.

Although the latter part of his nine-race adventure was blighted by crashes, Colapinto’s two top-ten results put him on five points which was four more than Sargeant managed in 37 starts.

Linked to Red Bull in the early half of his F1 stint, Colapinto lost out to the organisation’s juniors and looked set to spend the F1 2025 season on the sidelines with Williams before Alpine snapped him up.

Does Colapinto to Alpine mean the end for Doohan?

👉PF1 verdict: Is Alpine’s move for Franco Colapinto unfair on Jack Doohan?

👉Explained: Franco Colapinto’s Alpine deal and how Williams can still benefit

The team signed the 21-year-old as their official reserve driver but with Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore refusing to guarantee Doohan a full season in the A525, it’s being widely reported that it is only a matter of time before Colapinto takes the seat.

Bottas, though, isn’t one of those damning Doohan even before the first race of 2025.

“It’s too early to say,” he told respected F1 photographer Kym Illman. “I think time will show in the end.

“Jack is a promising smart kid, seems fast and he’s got his chance to prove himself, which I believe he will do.”

But having paid Williams a reported €10 million to sign Colapinto, it is being widely suggested that claims Doohan has just six races to prove himself to Alpine have been given credence with Alpine now having the perfect replacement driver in the garage.

Prior to Colapinto’s confirmation, Briatore was asked about the rumours that Doohan wasn’t guaranteed a full season and told Le Parisien: “The only thing we can be sure of is death!

“We’ll start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee that. After that, we’ll see as the season progresses.

“I have to get the team in the right condition to get results and the driver is the one who has to conclude the work of nearly 1,000 people behind him. Everyone works for just two people.

“If there’s a driver who isn’t making progress, who isn’t bringing me results, I change him. You can’t be emotional in F1.”

He did, however, hint to Auto Motor und Sport that his interest in signing Colapinto was more with 2026 in mind.

“I’m interested in any driver who is fast,” he said. “If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it.”

Read next: Mario Andretti interview: 13 big F1 questions with 1978 World Champion