Seven-time F1 Champion Michael Schumacher bought 19-year-old Alpine academy superstar Jack Doohan his first-ever go-kart.
Doohan is one of the most exciting stars in F2 today. He was born into a family that loved motorsports as his father Mike is a five-time World Champion in MotoGP. He himself is very early in his journey toward becoming an F1 driver, but he has the right resources at his disposal.
In 2017, Red Bull signed him up as an academy driver before he left them for Alpine in 2021. It turned out to be a defining year for him as he got an opportunity to show his talent in F2. He filled in at MP Motorsport for the final two rounds but showed everyone just how good he was by finishing P5 in just his second race.
Super excited to be hopping into the #A521 with @AlpineF1Team for my first F1 test in Qatar! Can’t wait to learn as much as possible while enjoying the experience. Cannot thank everyone at Alpine enough for this opportunity 😁 pic.twitter.com/P8ssX0XfzG
— Jack Doohan (@jackdoohan33) May 13, 2022
In an interview with F3’s official website, Doohan revealed who his racing hero was. He cited his inspiration to be none other than the legendary Michael Schumacher. To the surprise of many people, it was the German who bought Doohan his first go-kart.
His dad Mike and Schumacher were close friends, and they used to stay together when the latter visited Australia.
Michael Schumacher is someone I look up to massively, says Jack Doohan
Doohan recalls how his father rose to stardom from virtually nothing. He has a lot of privileges available to him life, which his dad had to struggle for. One of these includes being able to get into the world of racing from such an early age. He considers himself really lucky that a racing legend like Michael Schumacher was a family friend to them.
“I was fortunate enough that he was a family friend from a young age,” Doohan said about Schumacher.
Stoked, my first @Formula2 Race Win! Thank you @VirtuosiRacing 👐🏼 all focus is on the Feature Race tomorrow now. #F2 pic.twitter.com/gRq6LTTspn
— Jack Doohan (@jackdoohan33) July 2, 2022
“Michael used to visit us in Australia occasionally and stay with us because my dad and him were friends. They lived next door to each other in Monaco at one point. Michael gave me and my sister our first go-kart when we were three. Given everything he has accomplished and his whole mentality, he is someone whom I look up to massively.”
Doohan landed himself a full-time F2 seat for the 2022 campaign. In his first full season in the series, he has impressed everyone and is currently P4 in the standings. He has a chance to finish P3 in the Championship if results go his way at the final round in Abu Dhabi.
Also read: 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has part of Silverstone track named after him
