Youngsters coming out of F2 often wait a long time before they are noticed by F1 fans and teams. Alpine’s Jack Doohan, however, is not going through a similar problem. Part of the Enstone-based team’s academy since 2022, Doohan chose the current season to focus on his reserve role completely. He rejected offers from other racing ventures to stay with Alpine’s F1 division and help them behind the scenes. Now, ahead of the 2025 season, Doohan believes he is ready to make the big jump. For that, he will also get 10 days’ practice in an F1 car and wants to outshine his F2 counterparts to prove his worth.
In the junior categories, Doohan has raced against the likes of Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman. The latter two drivers were called into F1 as emergency replacements. They showcased their talent in front of the F1 community and made themselves viable candidates for a seat in the near future. Doohan, however, wants to point out his own good performance, which he did in an interview with Speedcafe.
The Aussie said, “I was in Formula 2 with both, racing against Liam and Ollie. They’re both great drivers. I have my time in the category as well where I gave a really good performance.”
Doohan won 6 races in F2, compared to Lawson’s 3 and Bearman’s 0. However, he doesn’t want stats to speak for itself and is ready to show that he is good enough to compete at the highest level of F1, given Alpine provides him with an opportunity.
While talking about contract discussions with Alpine, Doohan added, “I let Alpine and the people around me organize that. For now, I’m just trying to make myself as appealing, marketable, and attractive.” Doohan’s approach is already working, at least for Esteban Ocon.
Esteban Ocon backs Jack Doohan to secure a drive in F1
Ocon and Doohan have been working together since 2022 and the Frenchman has great respect for the junior driver. Ocon believes Doohan is more than capable of holding his own in the premier class. He also believes that the Australian deserves as much spotlight as Lawson and Bearman.
Ocon revealed to the media, what a great asset Doohan is to Alpine even in his reserve role. Doohan has been putting in his hours in the simulator and his feedback has been valuable.
Keeping that in mind, Ocon made a statement in favor of the young Aussie driver. “No doubt that Jack deserves to drive more in Formula 1, (he) deserves to have a shot at least in F1 in one race,” he said. Keeping his head down and putting in the work for the past two years, Ocon and Doohan both believe it’s time to make that jump.
