As Flavio Briatore begins to cast doubt on Alpine's future with regard to Jack Doohan, the team has been warned that it will largely be a “one-car team” as long as he is on the grid.
This warning comes from Gary Anderson, a former F1 designer turned analyst, who believes that Alpine does not have a rookie like Kimi Antonelli in its team.
Pierre Gasly, the key to Alpine in F1 2025?
Rookie drivers are making a strong return to Formula 1, with the line-up for the 2025 F1 campaign rich in new faces.
2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto joins Sauber, Oliver Bearman will join Haas, Doohan will be at Alpine, Isack Hadjar joins Racing Bulls, and Kimi Antonelli takes Lewis Hamilton's place at Mercedes, while Red Bull places its confidence in Liam Lawson to accompany Max Verstappen after just 11 races with their B team.
Doohan made his Grand Prix debut early, with his first race at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Although he was chosen to replace Esteban Ocon, moving from reserve driver to racing driver, the warning from team assistant Flavio Briatore suggests that Doohan could be replaced mid-season. he fails to convince.
Alpine had also shown interest in another young talent, Argentine Franco Colapinto, who made a strong impression after joining the 2024 grid mid-season as Logan Sargeant's replacement at Williams. PlanetF1.com also noticed Colapinto in discussion with Briatore in the paddock of the Qatar GP.
Asked by The Parisian on training drivers Gasly and Doohan for the start of the 2025 season, Briatore replied: “The only certainty is death!”
“We will start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee it. Afterwards, we will see how the season evolves.”
“I have to prepare the team to achieve results, and it is the driver who has to realize the work of almost 1,000 people behind him. Everyone works for two people.”
“If there is a driver who is not progressing and who is not bringing me results, I replace him. In F1 you can’t be emotional.”
So the pressure is on Doohan to deliver, but Anderson doesn't expect him to.
Instead, he anticipates a “one-car team” at Alpine for much of the 2025 F1 season, with Gasly in charge of key performances.
State of play for the F1 2025 grid
???? F1 2025 driver lineup: Who is confirmed for the 2025 season?
???? F1 driver contracts: What is the status of each driver’s contracts on the 2025 F1 grid?
Anderson added in an article for The Race: “The most encouraging thing was what underpinned Alpine's impressive return in 2024.”
“David Sanchez arrived as technical director in May, put the brakes on updates and instead changed the development philosophy. This led directly to a major breakthrough with the US Grand Prix upgrade package.”
“If we apply this logic to the 2025 car, Alpine could become a credible team again (in its last year as such).”
“I fear Alpine will struggle as a one-car team for much of the season. Jack Doohan is OK, but I don’t think he’s at the level of Antonelli for example.”
“Gasly and the car have matured at the end of 2024, so if they can continue on this upward slope he will score significant points and knock on the podium door from time to time – but I don't expect “I don’t want this to happen every race weekend.”
To conclude, Anderson predicts a fifth place finish for Alpine in the 2025 F1 Constructors' Championship, which would represent a one-place improvement on their 2024 performance.
Also read: Cadillac F1 warned against following 'useless' model of existing teams
Our editors use AI to help them deliver fresh items from trusted sources to our users. If you find any image or content that is inappropriate, please contact us via DMCA form and we will promptly remove it. / Our editors use AI to help them offer our readers fresh articles from reliable sources. If you find an image or content inappropriate, please contact us via the DMCA form and we’ll remove it promptly.
- -
