Australian Jack Doohan will make his Formula One debut with Alpine at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, replacing Esteban Ocon. The move means Ocon is eligible to drive for Haas at the end-of-season test after the Abu Dhabi GP, before he joins the American team full-time next season.
What happened?
Alpine confirmed on Monday that Doohan would race this weekend after the team released Ocon from his contract. Doohan became Alpine’s full-time reserve this year and drove the car in an official practice session in June, but has not raced a Grand Prix.
It had already been confirmed earlier this year that Doohan would move into a full-time driver role alongside Frenchman Pierre Gasly. Meanwhile, Ocon will join rookie Oliver Bearman at Haas.
Ocon has been with the British team for five years. In 2021, he claimed Alpine’s first and only Grand Prix victory in Hungary in 2021. The 28-year-old’s final race with Alpine yesterday saw him start at the back of the grid and crash out on the opening turn.
Who is Jack Doohan?
Before 21-year-old Doohan became the full-time reserve for Alpine in 2024, he rose through the lower tiers of racing, F3 and F2. He was recruited as an F1 reserve last year while still racing in the F2.
His role as the reserve mainly consists of driving in the team’s simulator so that they can develop a more thorough understanding of the car.
Notably, Jack is the son of motorsports royalty Mick Doohan. Mick won five consecutive MotoGP World Championships during his career.
What they said
Doohan posted on X: “Stoked to be racing in Abu Dhabi this weekend for my debut Grand Prix. Grateful to [Alpine] for the trust and for giving me this opportunity. Also very grateful to Esteban who I’ve learnt a great deal from over the last two years. He’s been beneficial to my learning and development in Formula 1 and wish him the best for his future. Focused on the job at hand this week and working with Pierre to help the team achieve its objective.”
Alpine boss Oliver Oakes said: “I guess you could say it’s good to get Jack in early, I think you could say from Esteban’s side it’s good to move on early. I think it suits everybody, so I think the discussion was quite natural really, and I think Esteban’s been a big part of this team as well and from both sides, it suits each other.”
How to watch
The race will start at 12:00am on Monday.
