Jack Doohan has had to wait for four years to graduate from Formula 2, but it all came to pass as Esteban Ocon left Alpine to race for the Haas F1 team from 2025 onwards. Now, on the cusp of his first full-time season of racing at the pinnacle of motorsport, the Australian has opened up about his father’s influence on his racing career.
Doohan’s father, Mick is a bonafide motorsport legend. He’s a five-time MotoGP champion, but for Doohan Jr., his father was always so busy trying to be an example for him off the track, that he never really explained his own legacy in motorsport.
30 years since Mick Doohan’s first 500cc World Championship win #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/qKQFMwJ09J
— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) December 7, 2024
In a video uploaded by Alpine to their official YouTube channel, Jack said, “Even if I hadn’t asked if he was a world champion he would never have told me any of this. My dad was just so focused on obviously being a great dad to me and nurturing me into the person I am now.”
Doohan’s time at the pinnacle of Grand Prix Motorcycle racing coincided with that of some of the greatest names in the sport like Valentino Rossi. However, an accident during qualifying for the 1999 Spanish Grand Prix meant that he had to hang up his racing helmet too soon.
Jack Doohan was going to follow his father’s footsteps into MotoGP
Mick Doohan dropped an appearance on the Formula for Success podcast with hosts Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard. The 59-year-old discussed his influence on his son and admitted that the knack for going motor racing was always in Jack’s blood.
That said, Jack was actually going to ply his trade on two wheels rather than four. However, an accident that led to him breaking his leg meant that he gave up the dream of racing in MotoGP.
Doohan Jr.’s foray into the world of four-wheeled motorsport began when his father set up a karting track on their own property — though it was after a lot of resistance shown by Doohan Sr.
Now, years later, his son is on the verge of making his full-time F1 debut after substituting for Ocon at the last race of the 2024 season in Abu Dhabi, earlier this month. The 21-year-old will also be happy that he will start his first full season in F1 at his home race in Australia, with the opening round of the 2025 season scheduled to take place in Melbourne.
