Jack Doohan has already lost his seat at Alpine, although his replacement, Franco Colapinto, hasn\u2019t fared any better.<\/p>\n
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 284 2 275 3 187 4 172 5 151 6 109 7 64 8 54 9 37 10 27 <\/p>\n
Fernando Alonso thinks Gabriel Bortoleto is a generational talent<\/a> after his recent upturn in form at Sauber, while Isack Hadjar could be racing for Red Bull next year<\/a> after impressing alongside Liam Lawson.<\/p>\n Jolyon Palmer<\/a> has been studying the impact of Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/a> at Mercedes<\/a> this season.<\/p>\n He believes that Mercedes are in danger of becoming a \u2018one-man team\u2019 if his performances don\u2019t improve soon, although he cautions his point by suggesting that distractions around his future haven\u2019t helped his cause.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats<\/a><\/p>\n Palmer was speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast in the build-up to the Dutch Grand Prix<\/a> and explained: \u201cThey still are trying to understand what\u2019s going on with the car. I think Russell\u2019s driving at an incredibly high level at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cA little bit like Ferrari, they\u2019re becoming a one-man team at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Hamilton struggling, you\u2019ve got Antonelli struggling probably even more. So they need to try and get Antonelli firing again to try and overhaul Ferrari in the championship.\u201d<\/p>\n Palmer was then asked about whether Verstappen\u2019s commitment to Red Bull in 2026 will ease the pressure on Antonelli, and he continued: \u201cI hope so.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it were me in the car, it would be a huge weight off my shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of the chatter in the paddock over the summer of Verstappen\u2019s coming in, looks like Russell would be heading out, but then George started pointing the finger at Kimi and saying, well, hang on, I\u2019m beating him.<\/p>\n TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN\/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacValtteri BottasSergio PerezFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN\/AN\/ARacing BullsN\/AN\/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN\/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers<\/p>\n \u201cSo, then you\u2019re 18 and a rookie, and you\u2019re thinking flipping heck, this is tough stuff in Formula 1.<\/p>\n \u201cIt still is. But at least he can have the confidence that he most likely will still be at Mercedes; they\u2019ve given him time now.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the potential, I\u2019m sure, is there. But he\u2019s again in this spiral that we\u2019ve seen with various drivers over recent years, where he\u2019s now overthinking every time he gets in the car. He\u2019s not driving on his natural instincts anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do see flashes of performance through free practice and various points in the race where you think, ah, this is what we saw earlier in the season.<\/p>\n \u201cBut as the season\u2019s going on, he\u2019s actually comparatively getting weaker to his teammate, which is the entire reverse of what you\u2019d expect from an 18-year-old rookie who should be learning, should be getting closer.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage<\/a><\/p>\n Toto Wolff backs Andrea Kimi Antonelli to succeed at Mercedes as contract wait goes on<\/p>\n![\"Mercedes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2228986388-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Nicolas Economou\/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesJolyon Palmer says Kimi Antonelli is \u2018comparatively getting weaker\u2019 at Mercedes with every race<\/p>\n
![\"Jolyon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-846777528-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Lars Baron\/Getty Images<\/p>\n