F1 team scolded for 'unacceptable' decision as radical new solution put forward

Former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya has labelled 's call to fire 'unacceptable'. The seven-time Grand Prix winner questioned the decision-making process at Enstone and put forward his own solution to their driver line-up quandary. Doohan was sidelined just seven race weekends into his F1 career and six rounds into the 2025 schedule, fulfilling pre-season reports suggesting that the 22-year-old would be dropped without a fast start to his time at Alpine.

With the odds stacked against him, Doohan made critical errors in Melbourne and Miami, and suffered a high-speed shunt in free practice at the Japanese Grand Prix after neglecting to close his DRS on the entry to Turn One. Following the crash with Liam Lawson last time out, Alpine had seen enough.

Franco Colapinto will start the next five races with Doohan in a reserve role, although Briatore is keeping his options open beyond that point. Discussing the Australian's exit with , Montoya said: "What's unacceptable from a driver's point of view, you committed to Jack Doohan and thought he was the best choice. Alpine gave him a contract.

"The Franco Colapinto situation was not a big deal because there were so many issues at Red Bull, but now the attention has turned back onto that situation. When Flavio Briatore came in, they somehow made a deal that Doohan had five races to perform.

"I would have given five races to Doohan, five races to Colapinto and five races to Paul Aron, then you can sit down and evaluate who is the best choice for next year. 2025 is a bit of a throw-away year for Alpine because they're moving the Mercedes engines next year.

"I would assume a lot of the development on the car has stopped, they will be rebuilding for next year. They'll spend the least amount of money on their engine. Briatore's main thinking will be who is the main pair for next year. If Colapinto comes in and starts to beat Pierre Gasly, is Gasly in danger of losing his seat?

"Also, a lot of rumours are that Aron was quicker than Colapinto in testing. Colapinto has done a good job, yeah, he made a lot of mistakes, but his speed is very impressive. He's coming into a high-pressure situation at Alpine, there was no expectation at Williams."

If Colapinto's Alpine tenure ends after five races, former Mercedes junior starlet Aron will no doubt be in the picture, although Team Enstone have also been linked with Sergio Perez. The Mexican is a prime contender for one of the two Cadillac seats, but according to a report from The Race, the six-time Grand Prix winner has also held talks with Briatore's squad.