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Doohan reacts to ‘amazing’ early F1 debut as he outlines Alpine’s expectations
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Jack Doohan has spoken about his "amazing" opportunity as he prepares to make an earlier than anticipated F1 race debut with Alpine, stepping up from his reserve driver role to replace the departing Esteban Ocon in a sudden driver switch.
The Enstone outfit unexpectedly elected to give their Academy driver a shot in the season finale rather than stick with Ocon for one more race, with the change now giving the Frenchman the opportunity to complete the post-season test with Haas, his team next year.
After switching from the Red Bull Junior Team to the Alpine Academy, Doohan finished third in Formula 2 in 2023 and signed as the team’s reserve driver the same year, focusing on this as opposed to spending time in another championship.
Since then, he has taken part in a myriad of tests at Formula 1 circuits, making his FP1 debut at the 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix before driving in a further five practice sessions over the last two seasons.
Alpine have found some strong form over the last few races, which Doohan will be hoping to maximise
The Australian had signed a contract earlier this year to step up to the F1 grid with Alpine for the 2025 season, but he revealed in Abu Dhabi that he was given the option of replacing Ocon prematurely, which Flavio Briatore arranged after the race in Qatar.
“To be honest he told me that I’d be racing,” Doohan said about his conversation with the team’s Executive Advisor. “Fairly simple – it’s very simple with Flavio – and he told me to be ready.
ANALYSIS: Why Alpine chose to release Ocon with one race left and give Doohan his debut in Abu Dhabi
“There’s no real expectation. It’s to build it up over Friday, FP2 is new territory for me, so really just to progress through Friday and continue that progression. To finish the race and just to learn as much as possible before 2025.
“I’m super grateful to [Renault CEO] Luca de Meo, Flavio and Oli [Oakes] for this opportunity, the whole Alpine Academy, the TPC test team who’ve been preparing me for a long, long time and I’ve been a part of the programme since the end of 2021. To finally be the first Academy driver to race, and to make my debut this year ahead of next, is amazing.”
Doohan was previously linked to the 2023 Alpine seat before Gasly signed for the team
Doohan will have plenty of eyes on him after Alpine were thrown into a tight battle for P6 with their incredible double podium in Brazil – they currently have a five-point advantage over Haas, with RB a further eight points behind.
Asked if there was added pressure due to how close the team’s rivals are, the 21-year-old said: “No, definitely not. I think that my objective is to go fast when I’m in the car. I’m going to try and do that as much as possible and support the team as well to hopefully secure sixth and meet our objectives.”
READ MORE: Nina Gademan lands 2025 F1 ACADEMY seat with Alpine
He also confirmed that he had spoken to Ocon at length since the announcement, explaining that “there’s nothing wrong” between them and the Frenchman had offered “his help and guidance”.
“He’s taken me under his wing and [has] been helping me since I joined the team,” Doohan continued. “It’s been amazing to work with him and even his messages and support throughout this week have been very nice.”
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