Franco Colapinto warned he must “bounce back soon” or risk Jack Doohan’s fate

Former F1 steward Johnny Herbert believes Franco Colapinto will need to up his game to avoid being axed by Alpine like his predecessor, Jack Doohan.

Colapinto is already under pressure to perform in F1 2025, with Alpine executive director Flavio Briatore “not happy” with the Argentine’s current level of performance.

When Colapinto was announced as Doohan’s replacement, Alpine said that he was on a five-race deal.

Briatore disputed this at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

However, with Briatore not satisfied with Colapinto’s performances and the Italian hinting that this is a year he can “experiment” with the driver line-up, could Alpine be set for another change?

Paul Aron is also part of their junior academy and could be an alternative to Colapinto.

However, it seems unlikely Colapinto would be at risk so soon, particularly given his significant financial backing.

Colapinto starred during his short stint for Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant after the summer break in 2024.

His form led to interest from Red Bull and Alpine.

With Alpine already signing Doohan alongside Pierre Gasly, they could only take him on as their test and reserve driver.

Colapinto’s promotion was inevitable, earning the call-up after Miami.

But so far, Colapinto has struggled to replicate the performances and results which put Alex Albon under scrutiny at Williams last year.

Herbert expected more from Colapinto

While Colapinto hasn’t scored a big result for Alpine yet, luck hasn’t been entirely on his side.

Colapinto showed good pace at the Spanish Grand Prix, but a technical issue curtailed his Q1 and ultimately knocked him out.

Speaking to InstantWithdrawalBettingSites, Herbert explained why Colapinto must deliver a big performance soon.

“It’s always a difficult one. When you’re given an opportunity, you have to grab it and impress people,” Herbert said. “Jack Doohan didn’t do that and Franco Colapinto’s expectations have been very high.

“Flavio Briatore put a lot of faith into Colapinto and has thrown him into Alpine. You would expect Colapinto’s performances to be better with the standard he set last season.

“He has shown elements of where he can be as quick or maybe quicker than Pierre Gasly, but he hasn’t been consistent with his speed. We never saw Doohan able to bounce back, Colapinto needs to bounce back soon, or he will become a name that was highly thought of and nothing more.”