The Miami Grand Prix this weekend may mark Jack Doohan's final race for Alpine, as speculation intensifies that Franco Colapinto is poised to take his seat, potentially as early as Imola.
Doohan's future has been under intense scrutiny throughout the 2025 season so far, with Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore openly favouring Colapinto, who is on lucrative loan from Williams.
While the rumours surrounding Doohan's replacement had recently quieted, with team principal Oliver Oakes appearing to want to ease the pressure on the Australian rookie, whispers persisted that Alpine was seeking additional financial backing from Colapinto's sponsors to facilitate the switch.
The Alpine livery already features the logos of Argentine e-commerce giant Mercado Libre, a key Colapinto backer, but another major sponsor, Argentina's state-owned oil company YPF, is conspicuously absent.
Some speculate this omission stems from a potential conflict with Alpine's new sponsor, Italian oil firm ENI.
In a revealing moment during an interview with Argentine broadcaster A24, YPF president Horacio Marin was asked directly if Colapinto would race for Alpine in 2025. "I can't tell you that," Marin responded, laughing.
Pressed further by the interviewer, who asked, "When will he debut? In Miami?" Marin again chuckled, deflecting with, "I couldn't say anything about it."
However, as the interview concluded and Marin believed his microphone was off—prompted by music and an end-screen appearing on the monitor—he was overheard muttering to the interviewer, "In Imola," inadvertently suggesting that Colapinto's Alpine debut could occur at the race in Italy that follows Miami.
