Reserve drivers have become a major talking point in F1, especially after Liam Lawson’s heroics in 2023, and Ollie Berman’s incredible drive earlier this year. Keeping this in mind, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon tips his team’s reserve and development driver Jack Doohan, to do big things in F1.
Lawson got to prove his worth over the course of five races as Daniel Ricciardo’s injury substitute in 2023, and since then, fans can’t wait for the New Zealand driver to get a full-time seat in the sport. The same can be said about Bearman, who filled in for Carlos Sainz in just a few hours notice and finished P7 in Jeddah. According to Ocon, Doohan’s reputation should not be any different, and he deserves the spotlight just like Lawson and Berman did.
Speaking to Speedweek, Ocon said the 21-year-old has been a great asset to Alpine. Currently, without a racing program, Doohan is putting all his efforts into helping Alpine get better. The Australian driver has given the Enstone-based outfit valuable feedback from the simulator, allowing them to improve steadily. Furthermore, Doohan raced against Lawson and Bearman and defeated them both.
“No doubt that Jack deserves to drive more in Formula 1, (he) deserves to have a shot at least in F1 in one race.”
Doohan spent two seasons in F2 and found decent success during the tenure. Apart from 5 pole positions, the Australian driver also won 6 races, proving his mettle. However, he opted to not return to the discipline and put all his eggs in one basket (F1). Seeing the same, Ocon argues that Doohan should be on the F1 grid.
Jack Doohan realistic about his F1 chances amid Alpine role
Earlier this year, Jack Doohan expressed slight concern over his chance of making it to F1. Having nothing on his 2024 calendar other than being the reserve driver for Alpine, Doohan sees his shot at an F1 seat dwindle each day. However, he remains optimistic about the 2024 season.
Doohan thinks there will be a lot of opportunities in 2025, with various teams having an open seat. “I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities. It’d be great, obviously, to continue with Alpine in what that is, but I want to be a race driver,” he said (as per GP Blog)
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Alpine’s reserve driver, Jack Doohan, WILL NOT race in any series in this season. I learned these from a person close to Jack. He completely focusing on F1, at least this year, and was not considering racing in another series since the beginning of the season for… pic.twitter.com/Qw7nFVdian— İzzet Emir #F2 (@TonguEmir) March 29, 2024
Doohan has been hard at work to prepare himself in case an opportunity presents itself. He even drove the team’s 2021-spec car in February to get to know it well. There are also expectations of him driving in FP1 sessions twice in 2024, similar to how things happened in 2023. Alpine has talented drivers like Victor Martins, Kush Maini, Nikola Tsolov, and Gabriele Mini in their academy as well. Hence, getting into F1 won’t be too easy for Doohan.
