Jack Doohan is set to drive his first year in Formula One for the Alpine team this season. Let’s take a look at his career thus far.
Born in Gold Coast, Australia, Doohan is the son of motorbike racer Mick Doohan. He grew up surrounded by racing, both bikes and cars. The name he bears does put some pressure on Doohan, with many within the motorsport sphere considering him motorsport royalty due to his father, however racing in a different series has helped to keep the pressure as low as possible.
He started racing himself at the age of nine, in go karts. Competing first in Australia, Doohan moved to European and then World Championship series following success at home. He was gifted his first kart by Michael Schumacher, another motorsport legend, who is a close friend of Doohan’s father.
Following karting championships, Doohan stepped up to single seater racing. He signed for the Red Bull Junior Team, which was a big step towards his goal of Formula One. He competed in British Formula 4, where he finished fifth overall, and was the leading rookie. He then competed in Italian Formula 4, ADAC Formula 4 and the Asian F3 series. In the Asia based championship, he finished in P2.
For the 2020 season, Doohan competed in FIA Formula 3, alongside skilled opposition. He struggled and failed to score a point that season. The following year, Doohan competed in the same series, managing to finish in second place. For the final six races of the season, he raced in the FIA Formula 2 championship.
In 2022, after leaving the Red Bull Junior Team, Doohan signed with Alpine’s junior program (Alpine Academy) for his debut Formula 2 season. The following year, while still racing in Formula 2, he became Alpine’s Reserve Driver, meaning his relationship with the team became stronger. He finished third in the championship standings in 2023, impressing enough to maintain his role with the Alpine team.
The goal has always been clear: make it to Formula One, but it was not until the middle of the 2024 season that Doohan became publicly vocal about such ambitions. This ambition paid off, with Alpine selecting Doohan as their second driver for the 2025 season. He takes the place of Esteban Ocon, who headed to Haas.
Due to Ocon’s absence at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Doohan has technically already made his Formula One debut. He drove a good race, climbing to 15th position from his starting place of 17th. While his fastest lap time was slightly ahead of his teammate, Pierre Gasly, he was unable to match the performance of the French driver. Gasly finished in P7, gaining points. Doohan took Ocon’s place so that Ocon would be free from contract to drive in the Haas post season test. Doohan also drove in the post season test, for Alpine.
However, it is not all good news for Doohan. Recently, there have been rumours circulating about the security of his Alpine seat. This is mainly due to Franco Colapinto, who was signed as the Alpine Reserve Driver for the 2025 season. It has been implied that, should Doohan fail to perform as expected, Colapinto will be ready to take the seat from him. This only adds to the pressure on the rookie.
In the final few weeks before the start of the season, which will take place at Doohan’s home grand prix in Australia, more news about the young driver will undoubtably come out. His position at Alpine is safe for now, but with Colapinto waiting in the wings, only time will tell.
Written by Alexandra.
Featured Image Credit: motorsportmagazine.com
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