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Colapinto Escapes Major Incident During Private Alpine Test Amid Doohan Pressure

Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided a serious accident during a private testing session with Alpine, raising further interest in the Argentine’s progress as a potential Formula 1 race seat contender. The 21-year-old, who joined Alpine as a reserve driver at the start of the year, was behind the wheel of the team’s 2023 challenger—the A523—at Monza as part of Formula 1’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme.

Colapinto, who stepped into the F1 spotlight last season when he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams mid-campaign, was testing in Italy to gain more experience and stay sharp while awaiting a potential return to the grid. Although he had shown early promise during his short stint at Williams—scoring points in two of his first four races—his progress was stunted by three retirements in the final stretch of the 2024 season. That run ultimately cost him a full-time seat for 2025.

However, Colapinto has remained in the frame, and his test at Monza was seen as a key opportunity for the young driver to showcase his ability. The session didn’t go entirely to plan, though, as he skidded off the track and into the gravel during a run. While he managed to avoid a collision with the barriers—emerging unscathed—the incident caused damage to the underside of the car.

Despite the scare, Colapinto’s outing has kept him firmly in the headlines, especially as current Alpine race driver Jack Doohan finds himself under growing scrutiny. Doohan endured a difficult weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he suffered a heavy crash during Free Practice 2. Although he recovered in time for qualifying and Sunday’s race, he was unable to make a serious impact and crossed the line in 15th place.

The result in Japan followed a similar finish in China, along with a retirement in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. With three races now completed in the 2025 season, Alpine are the only team yet to score a point, and pressure is mounting on the 22-year-old Australian to deliver results quickly. There is growing speculation that the team could consider promoting Colapinto should Doohan’s form not improve in the coming weeks.

This weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix will be critical for Doohan, who is still chasing his first points of the season. After ending 2024 with improved performances, expectations were high for him and Alpine heading into the new campaign. But three underwhelming rounds have left the Enstone-based outfit rooted to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship standings, intensifying the spotlight on their young driver pairing.

Alpine’s patience with underperforming drivers has historically been limited, and with Colapinto waiting in the wings, Doohan will need to deliver a strong result in Sakhir to ease the pressure. The team is reportedly still backing both drivers publicly, but internal reviews of performance have already begun.

As Colapinto continues to impress with his resilience and hunger despite the setback at Monza, and Doohan struggles to make a mark on the 2025 season, the next few races could prove decisive in shaping Alpine’s driver line-up for the rest of the year—and possibly beyond.