Why a Max Verstappen exit from Red Bull is crucial for Jack Doohan's F1 future

Jack Doohan has been "rotated" out of his seat at Alpine for at least the next five races, to be replaced by Franco Colapinto.

But despite remaining Alpine's "first pick" reserve driver, don't expect him to be back in an F1 car any time soon, if at all.

It looks almost certainly to be the end of a career that was never given the opportunity to flourish, but that's a rant that's been covered elsewhere.

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So what next for the 22-year-old Gold Coast product?

However unlikely it is that he'll get a second chance in F1, let's park that for a moment and have a look at what the (few) options are for next year.

McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Haas, Williams and Sauber (which will become the Audi factory team next year) all have their current line-ups locked down until the end of next year.

Both Racing Bulls drivers are off-contract at the end of the year, but given the role the team plays as a nursery for Red Bull junior talent, that, too, seems unlikely.

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However, Doohan is a former Red Bull junior driver, having spent six years in the program between 2017 and 2022.

Doohan made the move at the time because Alpine had a better testing program, access to its World Endurance Championship (WEC) program, and also a clearer path to an F1 seat.

Although limited, Doohan does now have some F1 experience, and there is a precedent for Red Bull turning to former talent to fill gaps in its driver program.

Brendon Hartley spent two-and-a-half years in the program between 2008-2010, and was recalled to drive for Toro Rosso, now Racing Bulls, in 2017 and 2018.

But Red Bull still have Pepe Martí and Arvid Lindblad running around in Formula 2, and Ayumu Iwasa in Japanese Super Formula.

In the senior Red Bull team, Yuki Tsunoda is off-contract at the end of the year, but if he's not retained, expect Isack Hadjar to get a chance, unless Liam Lawson somehow pulls his finger out and starts dominating that battle.

Of course the big unknown is what happens with Max Verstappen. He's officially contracted until the end of 2028, but there has been plenty of talk about clauses in his contract that could allow him to leave the team early.

Should he go, Mercedes or Aston Martin are the two most logical destinations, leaning towards the latter.

The Verstappen factor is the reason neither Mercedes seat has been locked in for 2026, but George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are expected to remain unless Toto Wolff can somehow pull the rug out from underneath the weight of Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll's fat wallet.

Should Verstappen depart and open up a seat at Red Bull though, it could blow up the entire grid and trigger a drastic reshuffle.

But the size of that reshuffle could depend where he goes and who he replaces. If he goes to Aston and replaces Fernando Alonso, there are still plenty of teams who would scramble for his signature.

If he replaces Lance Stroll, well nothing would probably happen. Unless his old man, who owns the Aston Martin team, threw a few million bucks his way to get him a seat elsewhere.

If he went to Mercedes and replaced George Russell, every team on the grid would probably be interested. Kimi Antonelli might find it difficult to get a race seat, but he'd be snapped up quickly as a development driver for 2026 with an eye on 2027.

Either way, Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull would probably be good news for Doohan.

There is still the Cadillac team, which will enter the sport and become the 11th team next season.

The highly experienced former Red Bull gun Sergio Perez is a front runner to secure one seat, and the team could take a punt on an inexperienced future star.

But the General's executives have been firm on fielding an American driver in its debut season. Mexico is technically in America, but it's assumed they mean the USA, of which IndyCar driver Colton Herta is the favourite.

That door too then appears firmly closed for Doohan.

2026 F1 driver lineup

What about outside F1? Plenty of former F1 drivers have landed in IndyCar, WEC, Formula E or even NASCAR and enjoyed successful careers.

Although the relationship is in name only, Alpine have a team in the Hypercar class in the WEC, which includes the prestigious Le Mans 24hr.

Interest and depth in the WEC is arguably at an all-time high following the success of the Hyperclass category.

Alongside Alpine, Aston Martin, Porsche, Toyota, Cadillac, BMW, Ferrari and and Peugeot all have factory entries. McLaren and Korean brand Genesis will also enter next year.

Given Doohan's age, it's unlikely he'll return home and race in Supercars any time soon.

Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have both managed to reignite their F1 careers having been sacked, and Doohan will look to emulate them with another team.

But it will take some luck and good fortune, and his tumultuous stint with Alpine has proven he doesn't appear to have much of either.