It wouldn’t be the start of a Formula 1 season if there wasn’t already a driver under pressure in the paddock.
Last year, it was Logan Sargeant who was trying to justify his place on the grid at Williams and he was eventually replaced by Franco Colapinto.
Daniel Ricciardo lost his seat to Liam Lawson as part of Red Bull’s regular driver reshuffles before Esteban Ocon stepped aside at Alpine for the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi.
That allowed Jack Doohan to make his debut ahead of beginning his first full campaign as an F1 rookie in 2025.
Jolyon Palmer described Doohan’s debut as ‘difficult’ but it was a decent enough starting point for the young Australian.
Teammate Pierre Gasly did brilliantly to secure sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with his performances at the end of the season and while the French team are on the rise, there’s already speculation surrounding their new young driver.
Alpine have just signed Franco Colapinto from Williams and the Argentine is expected to replace Doohan should he not live up to expectations.
Doohan may have just a few races to prove himself, but he’s already had to overcome one challenge to get into the race seat in the first place.
Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was speaking on The Race’s YouTube channel and believes that Doohan had to defeat one much more experienced F1 driver to earn the second seat alongside Gasly.
Jack Doohan ‘outpaced’ Mick Schumacher during Alpine test to earn 2025 F1 seat
Talking about how Doohan earned his Formula 1 promotion, Mitchell-Malm said: “If he performs at or above the level Alpine demands of him, it will have no need and perhaps even no method to replace him with Colapinto.
“All Doohan can do is approach the season in the same way he did his third driver role and his shock debut last year with professionalism and determination to do the best possible job.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad
“Doohan’s been at pains to be the best possible team player for Alpine, consciously avoiding the entitlement that sometimes makes young drivers in his position unpopular with their employers.
“This on top of his performance, played a big part in him getting the nod despite the availability of experienced alternatives like Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher, who Doohan outpaced when they tested together ahead of the final decision for 2025.”
Will Mick Schumacher ever return to Formula 1 after his failed Alpine move?
The name Schumacher is so synonymous with Formula 1 that it’s not a surprise Mick Schumacher found his way into the sport in 2021.
However, after two difficult seasons with Haas, he was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg who quickly justified Guenther Steiner’s decision to swap the two German drivers.
Schumacher was once part of Ferrari’s driver academy but joined Mercedes as a reserve driver after being dropped by Haas.
However, Mercedes were accused of not keeping a promise to Schumacher after they bypassed the German to promote Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025 when it was announced that Lewis Hamilton was moving on.
READ MORE: Who is former F1 star Mick Schumacher? Everything to know
Schumacher’s association with Alpine comes from racing for their WEC team in 2024, which went well without being spectacular.
It made sense for Alpine to test Doohan against Schumacher given his previous F1 experience and would have given them confidence that they had made the right decision promoting the Australian when he beat a driver who had 43 Grand Prix starts under his belt.
Cadillac F1 are considering a move for Schumacher ahead of entering the sport in 2026.
By that point, he may have been out of Formula 1 for too long to be at the top of their shortlist, but from at least a marketing perspective, having a Schumacher in their car would certainly attract some attention from their American audience.
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