Alpine has announced that Franco Colapinto has joined as a reserve driver, and that could be ominous news for Jack Doohan.

Alpine confirmed on Thursday (Jan 18) that Franco Colapinto will be one of their reserve drivers for the 2025 Formula 1 season with the 21-year-old making the switch from Williams. The Argentinian driver takes up the role of Test and Reserve Driver for the upcoming championship and will attend several grand prixs across the course of the season sharing driving duties with Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa.

Franco Colapinto has joined Alpine as a test and reserve driver for the 2025 Formula One season after the team struck a deal to sign him from Williams. The team has maintained that Jack Doohan, who it named as Esteban Ocon’s replacement for 2025 at the end of August, is its race driver for the start of the season.

Argentine Franco Colapinto is to be Alpine's reserve driver this season after signing a multi-year deal to join the team from Williams.

Franco Colapinto has signed with the Alpine Formula 1 team, initially as a reserve driver, after an agreement was reached with former team Williams. Alpine has moved to secure Colapinto’s services

Signing Colapinto is a solid bet for Alpine, but there's no question it puts a spotlight on its 2025 driver before the season even begins.

South American F1 fans turned up in full force for Franco Colapinto in 2024, proving how critical it is for F1 to look beyond the US.

Alpine signed Argentina's Franco Colapinto to a multi-year deal Thursday as a test and reserve driver for the upcoming season, putting the 21-year-old closer to a full-time ride.

Now, it appears that the Australian youngster will be under immense pressure, with the threat of Colapinto looming large and the Argentine waiting in the wings to potentially take