Ted Kravitz shares what he's heard about F1 team's plans to replace struggling driver

Formula 1 pit lane reporter has given his take on the driver situation at , which seems to have taken a fresh twist in recent days. Since even before the new season began, there were plenty of suggestions that their driver line-up may change early in the campaign.

However, as it stands, under-pressure rookie Jack Doohan retains his place. That's despite being one of just four drivers on the grid yet to score a point this season, while team leader got off the mark by finishing seventh at last weekend's .

But , who has a significant say in Alpine's driver decision, is said to have been satisfied with the performances put in by Doohan so far. And reports have suggested to make further improvements.

That will frustrate reserve driver Franco Colapinto, who joined over the winter in the hope of getting back onto the grid as soon as possible. The Argentine impressed at times in a nine-race cameo last season at , who did not have room in their line-up to keep him on for 2025.

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Colapinto swapping one reserve driver role for another at Alpine only strengthened speculation that Doohan was living on borrowed time. But F1 favourite Kravitz believes that the momentum that was behind the 21-year-old seems to have dissipated.

He said: "That's great for Pierre Gasly, six points, puts him above [Nico] Hulkenberg and [Oliver] Bearman. Alpine say that their power unit cost them four tenths or half a second per lap, then imagine what they'd have with a power unit, which they're going to have next year so that's going to be interesting.

"That's going well for Enstone so far, well done to them. Doohan, you're right, seems to be a bit happier with him. Some of the heat of the fashion of Colapinto seems to have gone out for various reasons."

Doohan may well have scored his first points of the season in Bahrain, like team-mate Gasly, had it not been for the unfortunate timing of an appearance from the safety car. He was left to rue "a bit of bad luck" as he reflected on probably his best weekend performance of the season so far.

The 22-year-old said: "Similar to [qualifying], it was so good until it wasn't. So we just need to analyse and get this weekend to come together, where there's some strong points. Just very unfortunate with the hard and also for sure there's some things that I can look into to ensure that I can piece it all together."

And Doohan hopes more warm conditions in Saudi Arabia this weekend will play to Alpine's strengths, adding: "We're going into another hot race next weekend and we just look to try to build from this and continue where we've left off. Maybe not in my ultimate finishing position today, but in our pace."