Doohan Shines in Debut - Meets F1 Goals with Precision

Alpine F1 exceeded expectations as Gasly secured sixth place and Doohan impressively completed his debut race in Abu Dhabi.

Pierre Gasly finished seventh in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ensuring Alpine F1 retained sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship—far exceeding the team’s expectations for most of the season. The French driver is pleased to end the season on a positive note.

“I’m extremely happy with this end to the season. It reflects a tremendous amount of work from the team. Unfortunately, we’ve faced many tough moments together, but we never stopped fighting and working,” Gasly said.

“Today, that hard work paid off with a solid finish in terms of performance. We were the best of the midfield in Qatar, and we were again here. Only the top four teams are ahead of us, which was unimaginable in Bahrain. I thank the team for this.”

Gasly engaged in an exciting battle with George Russell early in the race, explaining that it was a strategy to keep Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas at a safe distance: “I was third at that point, imagining all kinds of scenarios, and I felt good in the car.”

“Hülkenberg was behind him, and I wanted to keep a car between us for safety. I fought, but they were faster. Still, there are many positives, especially since the summer break. I’m the eighth-highest points scorer since the break.”

Gasly also executed a spectacular overtake on Yuki Tsunoda: “I couldn’t pass him on the first lap because I didn’t have good traction. I passed him on the second lap, but he overtook me again. I eventually passed him on the outside, which caught him off guard, but it was a great move.”

Jack Doohan achieved the goal he set for himself by reaching the finish line in his first Formula 1 race. The Australian driver expressed satisfaction with accomplishing this, explaining that it influenced his cautious approach at the start amid the chaos in the pack.

“It’s nice to realize it now; I hadn’t thought about it too much. There was chaos at the start, and I could have been more aggressive to take advantage of it, but my goal was to finish the race, so I was cautious to make sure I achieved that,” the Australian said.

“It was a cool moment waiting for the formation lap before my very first race. The start was decent—I don’t think I had an amazing launch, but a lot was happening. I had two good battles, and there’s plenty to review. I’m grateful to the team and the academy for my preparation.”

Having only raced in F2 on this circuit, Doohan had to adapt to several differences, such as the race’s timing, length, and the fatigue that set in over the laps: “I was on the grid thinking it was darker than what I was used to!”

“My stint on hard tires was as long as my entire F2 race here last year, and I realized there were still many laps to go. I wondered if there were 30, 40, or 20 left. I thought it would be fine if it was 20, manageable if it was 30, but not good if it was 40!”

“But I didn’t ask because I didn’t really want to know! It was a long race, and I have pain in muscles I didn’t even know I had. My thumbs hurt; it was hard to press some buttons towards the end.”