Jack Doohan F1 pressure ramps up after huge crash at Japanese Grand Prix

Japanese Grand Prix

Jack Doohan F1 pressure ramps up after huge crash at Japanese Grand Prix

The Alpine star has crashed at Suzuka

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 4 April 2025 08:42 Updated: 13:51

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Alpine Formula 1 star Jack Doohan triggered a red flag during FP2 at the Japanese Grand Prix after a high-speed crash on Friday.

The 22-year-old is currently under significant pressure to perform with four reserve drivers waiting in the wings in the Alpine garage after a disappointing start to the season.

One such star is 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Ryo Hirakawa, who replaced Doohan during FP1 in Suzuka, piloting his machinery to P12 after a relatively faultless run.

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The second practice session of the weekend had barely got underway when Doohan began a sharp descent towards Turn 1 and initially appeared to dip a wheel into the grass, smashing into the barriers and losing two wheels.

What caused Jack Doohan's Alpine crash at Suzuka?

After the significant hit to his Alpine, the Aussie immediately confirmed over team radio that he was unharmed, although he did appear out of breath when confirming: "I'm okay. What happened?"

Alpine's team principal Oliver Oakes has since confirmed that the crash was caused by Doohan leaving his DRS open, entering Turn 1 without manually closing his DRS mechanism.

As a result of his rear wing still being open, the aerodynamic imbalance will have likely caused Doohan to spin and then crash his Alpine.

"We are all relieved to see Jack walk away from his incident in FP2 and glad to see he is okay after his precautionary checks," Oakes said.

"It was a misjudgement of not closing the DRS into Turn 1. It is something to learn from and I know Jack and the team will be ready for tomorrow. His crew will work hard to have the car prepared after the damage."

The session was slightly delayed to allow for the significant clean-up around the high-speed circuit, with just under 30 minutes left for teams and their remaining drivers to get valuable run times in ahead of qualifying on Saturday.

Doohan headed straight to the medical tent to get checked over whilst Alpine began the tricky repair job on his A525.

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Alpine Japanese Grand Prix Jack Doohan Ryo Hirakawa