Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto is not in contention to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull, multiple sources have told PlanetF1.com.

Lawson has found himself fighting for his Red Bull seat after a disastrous start to the F1 2025 season, which saw him eliminated in Q1 in the first two races in Australia and China.

PF1 sources: Franco Colapinto not in contention to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The New Zealander’s poor performances have heightened speculation that he could be replaced by Red Bull ahead of next month’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the third round of the campaign.

A decision on Lawson’s future is expected to be made in a meeting at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory later this week, with PlanetF1.com learning that no firm decision has been made as yet.

Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese racer currently competing for the Racing Bulls junior team, is regarded as the most likely driver to step up to become Max Verstappen’s new team-mate if Lawson is dropped.

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It has been speculated that Red Bull could also consider options outside of their driver pool, including drivers who were left without a permanent seat for the F1 2025 season and are pursuing a return.

Reports overseas over recent days have claimed that Red Bull could turn their attention to Colapinto, the Argentine who was briefly linked with the team during an impressive cameo for Williams in the second half of 2024.

However, PlanetF1.com understands from sources close to the situation that Colapinto is highly unlikely to feature in any contingency plan in the event of Lawson being replaced.

Colapinto attracted interest from a number of teams, including Red Bull and Alpine, after scoring points in two of his first appearances for Williams after replacing Logan Sargeant following last year’s Dutch Grand Prix.

PlanetF1.com revealed that Colapinto had entered Red Bull’s radar after team principal Christian Horner was spotted paying a visit to Williams’ hospitality unit at last November’s Brazilian Grand Prix to discuss a potential deal for the youngster.

Yet Red Bull’s interest in Colapinto is believed to have cooled significantly after several crashes in the closing rounds of 2024, including a 50G accident in qualifying in Las Vegas.

Alpine went on to confirm the signing of Colapinto as one of four official reserve drivers for the F1 2025 season in January, with Williams team boss James Vowles commenting at the time that the move represented the driver’s “best chance” of reclaiming a race seat, potentially as soon as this year.

Persistent rumours over recent months have indicated that Colapinto could replace Jack Doohan in an Alpine race seat at some stage during the F1 2025 season.

Both Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes and executive adviser Flavio Briatore have consistently failed to deny that a swap between Doohan, whose contract is widely reported to cover only the first few races of the F1 2025 season, and Colapinto could take place.

PlanetF1.com understands that Doohan’s continued participation this season will be based on performance, as is the case with every other driver on the grid.

Doohan has impressed in the early rounds of the new season, showing similar one-lap pace to established team-mate Pierre Gasly in Australia and China and qualifying ahead of the F1 race winner for the sprint race in Shanghai.

However, Alpine currently sit at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship as the only team yet to score a point in F1 2025.

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