Martin Brundle names F1 driver who is 'already looking over his shoulder' days before start of 2025 season

Martin Brundle has picked out the Formula 1 driver who is already looking over his shoulder ahead of the 2025 season.

Next weekend, the long-awaited return of F1 takes place in Melbourne, the home of the Australian Grand Prix.

The 2025 season is being talked about as one of the closest in years, with multiple teams in with a shout of winning the title.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen will be looking to clinch his fifth consecutive championship but is set to face tough competition from the likes of Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Hamilton dominated the early headlines of the year after his high-profile transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari.

Meanwhile, six rookies in the shapes of Liam Lawson, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar are set to get a taste of their first full season at the pinnacle of motorsports.

Ahead of the season, former F1 star and Sky Sports pundit Brundle picked out Alpine rookie Doohan as the driver who could struggle.

He said: "Jack Doohan’s earned his chance in the Alpine, but he’s already looking over his shoulder at Franco Colapinto. Paul Aron’s in the team as well. That’ll be really hard for him to cope with."

Jack Doohan is already under pressure before the 2025 season even starts. Image: Getty

The 65-year-old named British youngster Bearman as the one to watch, Brundle added: "Ollie Bearman – he’s going to be exciting to watch in the Haas. Bortoleto, I think, is a real talent, whether he’ll have a chance to show that in the Sauber I don’t know."

Amid rumours that Doohan could lose his seat early in the 2025 season, Alpine's executive advisor Flavio Briatore declared that the 22-year-old will be starting the season alongside Pierre Gasly, but failed to confirm his long-term future.

Briatore said, as per Pit Pass: "We'll start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee that. After that, we'll see as the season progresses.

"I have to get the team in the right condition to get results and the driver is the one who has to conclude the work of nearly a thousand people behind him."

He added: "Everyone works for just two people. If there's a driver who isn't making progress, who isn't bringing me results, I change him. You can't be emotional in F1."