On the surface, the move to Alpine makes little sense, given it seemingly offers him nothing more than the reserve driver role he had at Williams.
Colapinto shot to stardom in the latter third of F1 2024 when he replaced the embattled Logan Sargeant after being part of the Williams Academy since 2013.
In his nine-race stint, the Argentine scored five points and proved a match for the highly rated Alex Albon at times.
It saw his stock soar before crashes at the Sao Paulo and Las Vegas Grands Prix proved something of a reality check.
With Williams sorted for the medium-term on the driver front with Albon and the recently arrived Carlos Sainz, Colapinto’s stint was only ever temporary and he was always destined to be bumped back down to reserve driver.
A move sideways into ostensibly the same role but at another team (a more competitive one at that, it should be noted) with a less settled medium-term plan can be viewed as a positive.
Alpine had named Paul Aron as reserve driver, though he is lacking in F1 experience.
It has also signed a deal with Ryo Hirakawa to be test and reserve driver, a curious development given he’s recently driven for both McLaren and Haas and has a deep and ongoing relationship with Toyota in the World Endurance Championship.
But, like Aron, he lacks F1 race experience.
Hence while Alpine seemingly had a full suite of drivers, it was missing a crucial and valuable element, something Doohan had offered courtesy of his time testing with the operation: F1 experience.
That is a valuable commodity on multiple fronts, the most obvious is that should the need arise, Colapinto could be promoted into a race drive for a weekend with a good degree of confidence and comfort.
A flow-on is that he will also have a better understanding of what a driver wants and needs and be in a position to better develop for that on the squad’s simulator.
Those are useful traits but there is another element that arguably tipped the scales.
While all F1 teams are in far healthier financial shape than they’ve ever been, a cash injection is always welcome as it means there is less pressure on the commercial department to secure the budget to cover costs.
Colapinto is understood to bring with him significant backing.
That’s good news for Renault, which remains the largest shareholder of the Alpine squad – it sold off 24 percent of the operation in 2023.
Renault has made no secret of its desire to reduce its exposure in F1; selling a stake to raise capital was one element of that, with another the looming closure of its power unit facility in Viry.
Add a little extra consideration courtesy of a driver who also adds depth to the organisation, and Colapinto’s signing is a positive move for the Enstone operation.
The downside is what it does to the atmosphere within the organisation, and whether that will prove to be a net benefit of detract from the squad’s on-track performance.
Specifically, the move raises awkward questions about Doohan and his role within the organisation.
Alpine has stressed that he remains its chosen race driver for 2025.
Though there has been speculation that he wouldn’t see the start of the season, or could be ousted after only a handful of races, the team remains committed to him.
That has been made clear by Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore, though his comments were typically open-ended and allowed room for speculation as he referenced only the start of the season.
Sources within the team also emphasised the point to Speedcafe; Doohan will start the year and is the chosen driver to partner Pierre Gasly.
Put another way, while Colapinto is highly rated and proven in race conditions, he will not automatically usurp his Australian colleague.
Indeed, Doohan’s fortunes remain very firmly in his own hands and provided he hits the markers set out for him by the team there is no reason to replace him.
That is a truth as relevant today as it will be in December; if Doohan does a good enough job in the mind of Alpine management, Colapinto won’t get a look in.
Of course, Colapinto will be looking for the Australian to fall short, F1 is as competitive a game off the track as on it, but there is no outward reason to believe this is imminently bad news for Doohan.
Without a doubt, it ramps up the pressure, but that is the name of the game in Formula 1.
Doohan was thrown into the fire at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Alpine split with Esteban Ocon ahead of the final race of F1 2024 and did what was asked of him.
He has put himself on the line and delivered what was asked of him when it’s mattered, demonstrating a coolness under pressure that should serve him well.
Colapinto’s arrival is therefore not necessarily bad news for Doohan, though it should be considered good news for Alpine more broadly.
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