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F1 star dropped following Miami Grand Prix as 'bizarre contract' confirmed for replacement driver

Home> F1

Updated 08:38 7 May 2025 GMT+1Published 08:11 7 May 2025 GMT+1

F1 star dropped following Miami Grand Prix as 'bizarre contract' confirmed for replacement driver

The change was rumoured after the Miami Grand Prix and has now been confirmed by Formula One.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

A second Formula One driver sacking of the season has been announced following the Miami Grand Prix at the weekend.

After struggling as Max Verstappen's partner with Red Bull, Liam Lawson was demoted back down to sister team Racing Bulls and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after just two races.

Lawson has continued to struggle but a second driver has now been given the boot just six races into the 2025 season.

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Jack Doohan of Alpine made contact with Lawson in the opening lap of the Miami Gardens circuit at the weekend and suffered a puncture which meant he was one of four drivers forced to retire from the race.

Pressure on the Australian has continued to mount following a poor start to his debut campaign, which saw him crash out in the opener on home soil and suffer a crash in practice prior to the Japanese Grand Prix.

Now, as expected, he has officially been relieved of his duties and replaced by reserve driver Franco Colapinto.

F1 confirm immediate sacking decision following the Miami Grand Prix

After a flurry of reports, on Wednesday F1's official account announced the news on X, stating that Colapinto will "race at least the next five races for Alpine" in place of Doohan.

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21-year-old Colapinto has raced in nine Grand Prix events in his fledgling career, having made his debut at the Italian Grand Prix in September 2024.

The former Williams driver signed a multi-year deal with Alpine earlier this year and rumours were rife about the prospect of him replacing Doohan on a full-time basis.

He is now slated to partner Pierre Gasly, starting with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola on Sunday 18 May.

Franco Colopinto is in line to debut for Alpine on 18 May. Image: Getyt
Franco Colopinto is in line to debut for Alpine on 18 May. Image: Getyt

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The news comes less than a day after Alpine confirmed that Oliver Oakes had stepped down as Team Principal, a role he assumed back in the summer of 2024.

Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore will cover Oakes' previous responsibilities in the short-term.

“BWT Alpine Formula One announces that Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role a Team Principal,” a statement read.

“The team has accepted the resignation with immediate effect.

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“As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as Executive Advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes.

"The team would like to thank Oliver for his efforts since he joined last summer and for his contribution in helping the team secure sixth place in the 2024 Constructors' Championship.

"The team will not be making any further comment."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Formula 1

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

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@joshlawless_

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