Scoreless F1 driver told he’s ‘at the end’ of his career, even Liam Lawson is ahead after Chinese Grand Prix

Six F1 drivers left the Chinese Grand Prix without any points on board in the championship. Factoring in the Shanghai Sprint race, they’ve missed three opportunities so far.

Three of the six are rookies. Isack Hadjar outdid Max Verstappen with his superb qualifying display in China, but ultimately finished 11th after Racing Bulls’ two-stop strategy backfired.

Jack Doohan has had a somewhat scruffy start at Alpine, crashing out of his home race in Australia before finishing last in the China Sprint after a 10-second penalty. He was 13th on Sunday, though Pierre Gasly’s failure to score will aid his cause as he tries to fend off Franco Colapinto.

F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto is still awaiting his first F1 points, but that was to be expected given the limitations of his Sauber car. Nico Hulkenberg’s P7 in a wet, accident-ridden Australian GP may come to be viewed as a freak result.

Then there’s Liam Lawson, who may face one of the most embarrassing demotions in F1 history. Reports claim Red Bull have decided to axe Lawson before the Japanese GP in favour of Yuki Tsunoda.

Lawson qualified last for both races in China, but he doesn’t sit P20 in the championship. That ignominous title belongs to Fernando Alonso after back-to-back retirements.

Rene Arnoux writes off Fernando Alonso after Lance Stroll defeat at Chinese Grand Prix

Alonso made a highly uncharacteristic error in Australia, crashing out of the race after committing the cardinal driving sin of running wide in the wet. He’d started 12th, one spot ahead of Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll.

Stroll then outqualified Alonso for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint, with each driver gaining one position from their grid spot (P9 and P10). While the Spaniard hit back in the main quali, a brake problem forced him to retire on Sunday.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux suggested Alonso’s time in F1 may now be up at 43. He’s still had the edge over Stroll, but it appears the gap has shrunk.

Indeed, Alonso was just three-hundredths faster in Melbourne qualifying, and half a tenth quicker in the corresponding session last weekend.

Asked to name the biggest failures of the China weekend, Arnoux said: “Lawson. I just can’t understand the choice [from Red Bull]. And Alonso: now that he arrives together with Stroll I think he’s at the end.”

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell shares what Lance Stroll did to surprise Fernando Alonso in debrief

Alonso praised Stroll for his drive in Australia, where he brought the car home in sixth. After adding two more points last weekend, he remains Aston Martin’s only scorer.

It’s an unusual position for Alonso, who was responsible for just under three-quarters of the team’s haul last season (70/94). He’s only finished below his teammate once since 2015, but Arnoux seems to think there’s a genuine prospect of that happening this term.

Perhaps he’s finally entering a natural decline. But Andy Cowell has praised Stroll for his feedback in debriefs, revealing that he noticed an issue with an AMR25 that escaped Alonso’s attention, so perhaps the Canadian is now growing as an all-round driver.

Significantly, Aston Martin are interested in Max Verstappen, and if the Dutchman is willing to join for 2026, they will either have to axe Alonso or Stroll. Perhaps that tricky dilemma is now becoming a little easier.