Colapinto rumours spell trouble for Lawson, lifeline for Doohan

Formula 1’s silly season has exploded into chaos following the Chinese Grand Prix, with Aussie Jack Doohan suddenly thrown a lifeline amid rumours of a major driver shake-up that could leave Liam Lawson without a seat.

Doohan, who has endured a rocky start to his rookie campaign with Alpine, was widely tipped to be replaced by reserve driver Franco Colapinto before the European leg of the season.

But in a dramatic turn, Colapinto is now being linked to a potential move to Red Bull’s junior team, Racing Bulls — a shift that would likely spell the end of Lawson’s stint on the grid.

Lawson’s struggles have been stark, with back-to-back horror weekends in Melbourne and Shanghai, including a spin-out and dead-last qualifying efforts.

Lawson’s disaster start to the season has seen Red Bull’s betting odds for the Constructors Championship plummet to $29 with top online bookmakers.

And with Yuki Tsunoda impressing early in 2025, reports suggest Red Bull are seriously considering promoting the Japanese driver to the senior team alongside Max Verstappen — potentially before his home Grand Prix at Suzuka on April 6.

The domino effect could put Colapinto into the second Racing Bulls seat alongside Isack Hadjar, which would inadvertently save Doohan from being dumped by Alpine.

Formula 1 journalist Kunal Shah labelled the rumoured twist the “unforeseen” shock of the season, while pundit Ralf Schumacher told Sky Sports he’s been informed Lawson is already out for the next race.

Red Bull have done little to quash the speculation. Team boss Christian Horner stopped short of guaranteeing Lawson’s future, while Helmut Marko admitted Red Bull were “worried” and confirmed an emergency meeting is being held this week.

Meanwhile, Tsunoda didn’t shy away from the possibility of taking Lawson’s seat when asked directly on the weekend.

“Yeah, why not? Always… In Japan? Yeah, 100 percent,” he said, before being ushered away by team PR.

Doohan, for his part, hasn’t made a strong case on track, but a more consistent showing in Shanghai and Pierre Gasly’s own struggles have helped his cause.

With Colapinto now caught in the middle of a Red Bull tug-of-war, Doohan’s F1 fate may no longer be sealed.

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