Shock F1 axe on cards as 87-race driver tipped to be 'first to leave grid' in 2025
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The 2025 season has not yet even begun and already Jacques Villeneuve believes the writing could be on the wall for one Formula 1 star. Plenty of racers head into the new campaign with plenty to prove. There are five young stars beginning their first seasons as full-time F1 drivers, all of whom know they need to hit the ground running or run the risk of it being the only chance they will ever get in the sport.
Under the most pressure already is Jack Doohan, who made his F1 debut last December in Abu Dhabi and is set to start the new season with Alpine. But the Enstone-based outfit has also signed Franco Colapinto as their reserve and chief Flavio Briatore has made it clear he will not hesitate to make a change if he feels one is needed.
Regardless of that fraught situation for Doohan, 1997 F1 champion Villeneuve believes another racer could be in even greater danger. The Canadian has tipped Yuki Tsunoda to be the first to be shown the door this year. The Japanese has four years of F1 experience under his belt now and has started 87 races in that time. However, it still wasn't enough for him to earn promotion to Red Bull Racing - he was overlooked in favour of Liam Lawson who has raced in the sport just 11 times.
So now he starts a fifth season with Red Bull's junior team, his career seemingly stagnant with little prospect of ever earning a promotion to the main outfit. And now that the team's partnership with engine suppliers Honda is coming to an end, Villeneuve believes Tsunoda will soon be moving on too.
