F1 star now thinks the Japanese Grand Prix will be his final race after Red Bull announce Liam Lawson swap

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Alpine driver Jack Doohan believes that the Japanese Grand Prix might be his final race of the season, F1 Oversteer can exclusively reveal.

The Formula 1 driver’s market was one of the biggest talking points of last season, and just two races into the 2025 campaign, it’s once again on the agenda.

Red Bull have announced that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson starting from the Japanese Grand Prix, with the 23-year-old heading in the opposite direction to Racing Bulls.

Lawson struggled to handle the RB21, and so the responsibility has fallen on Tsunoda to try and support four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

The uncertainty within Red Bull has had a knock-on effect at Alpine, which could immediately impact Jack Doohan’s seat on the grid.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad

Jack Doohan thinks Alpine could make Franco Colapinto swap after the Japanese Grand Prix

Alpine decided at the end of the 2024 season to promote Doohan into a race seat ahead of the finale in Abu Dhabi, ahead of Esteban Ocon’s move to Haas.

Doohan had a difficult time that weekend, although factors such as being caught out on his final lap in qualifying were out of his control.

Over the winter, as Doohan prepared for his first full season in Formula 1, Alpine brought in a host of reserve drivers, including Franco Colapinto.

Flavio Briatore has warned Doohan in the past that every performance matters, and so far, he’s yet to set the world alight alongside Pierre Gasly.

F1 Oversteer understands that Doohan believes he may only have one race left before Alpine decide to make the switch to Colapinto.

Colapinto was linked with a Racing Bulls seat, with pressure increasing on Lawson, and F1 Oversteer believes that Alpine don’t want to lose the 21-year-old Argentine with Red Bull sniffing around as they try to solve their driver conundrum.

It’s also understood that Red Bull don’t want to rule out potentially swapping Lawson and Tsunoda again in the future, having previously decided that the New Zealander was the better option for 2025 before his rapid demotion.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto? Everything to know

Oliver Oakes impressed with Franco Colapinto’s ‘great first impression’ in Formula 1

Colapinto was initially promoted into a race seat by Williams towards the end of last season when team principal James Vowles decided to drop Logan Sargeant.

The 21-year-old impressed by scoring points in two of his first four races, and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon apologised to Colapinto for stealing the fastest lap off him during the United States Grand Prix.

Speaking on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Alpine team principal addressed Colapinto’s brief F1 career and said: “I think Franco made a great first impression with Williams. I think it was clear to see that he probably tried a bit too hard at the end there.

“How much of that was the situation he was in, where he didn’t have a seat confirmed and was trying to over-impress, and how much of that was a compromise on parts of the car, that’s hard to calculate.

“But I think the crux is he made a strong impression with the speed he showed.

“For us as a team it’s great to have that roster of two young drivers in Paul [Aron] and Franco there waiting in the wings, because it’s not just about 2025; 2026, 2027 is around the corner, and it’s hard in F1 to plan what’s going to happen and what drivers you’re going to have to go in the car.

“For us, it just keeps everyone honest in terms of how they’re performing and gives us options.”

Doohan is only on a short-term deal, and if he believes he’s only got one opportunity left to impress Alpine’s hierarchy, then he needs to take it in Japan.

He’s won at Suzuka in the past in Asian F3, but he’s up against an entirely different class of drivers in Formula 1.