Former Red Bull star targets F1 return

Doohan as reserve driver of Alpine — Photo: © IMAGO

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Former Red Bull star targets F1 return

Former star explained why he turned down the chance to race at Le Mans

GPFans Staff

Tuesday 20 February 2024 15:57

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Alpine junior Jack Doohan has explained why he has elected to concentrate solely on testing for the Anglo-French team in 2024.

Doohan, the son of five-time world motorcycle champion Mick Doohan, has been an Alpine junior driver since 2022 after previously being a member of the Red Bull junior team from 2017 to 2021.

After finishing runner-up to Dennis Hauger in the 2021 Formula 3 championship, Doohan graduated to Formula 2 with UNI-Virtuosi Racing for 2022, winning three times and finishing sixth in the drivers standings.

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In his second year of F2 in 2023, Doohan won three more races and finished third in the drivers' standings behind Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti and champion Theo Pourchaire.

Doohan also participated in four FP1 sessions for Alpine during 2022 and 2023, helping the team fulfil its mandatory two rookie FP1 sessions.

But despite gaining plenty of experience and being competitive in F2, Doohan could not graduate to F1 as no team elected to change their driver lineups for 2024.

Instead, Doohan will now conduct a private testing programme throughout 2024 and will spend time on the simulator to help Alpine’s regular drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. In addition, Doohan will be Alpine’s reserve driver and remain on standby if Gasly and Ocon cannot race.

Doohan even turned down a chance to join Alpine’s two-car team for the World Endurance Championship [WEC] alongside friend Mick Schumacher to solely concentrate on F1.

Doohan will be looking to impress Alpine team principal Bruno Famin

"Leaving aside the regular drivers, I will be the man with the most kilometres in a Formula 1 car in 2024," Doohan told Speedweek. “And we're not talking about short stints here. We're talking about race distances on a dry track and on a wet track, in high temperatures and in clammy conditions. I will be on track in all conditions, and that makes me an attractive alternative for the GP teams."

"My entire focus this year is on being one of the 20 drivers on the Formula 1 grid next season. I want to show Alpine team boss Bruno Famin that there is no way around me if Pierre or Esteban leave the team.

"I have a multi-year contract with Alpine, I see my future here. I've been here for three years now, I know everyone at the team well, and the atmosphere is great.

"As far as my programme is concerned, I will drive a 2021 car for one day and a 2022 car for nine days. I will adapt quickly, just like I did in Abu Dhabi [in] 2023. I drove the first practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit after my Formula 2 stint and was only half a tenth of a second slower than Pierre Gasly."

"We've split it like this. For all races that are more than a three-hour flight from the factory, I'll be there from A to Z. For the other races, and that includes all the grands prix in Europe, I sit in the simulator on Friday and then go to the venue.

"We talked about it [going to WEC], but we quickly came to the conclusion that it would be better to concentrate on Formula 1."