Jack Doohan Declared Ready for Formula 1

Jack Doohan asserts his readiness for Formula 1, supported by team feedback and solid test results.

Doohan is convinced he is now ready to race in Formula 1. The Alpine F1 reserve driver has received praise from Esteban Ocon, who deemed him ready for the big league, and reveals that his lap times against the regular drivers after private testing show he is fast enough.

“I feel 100% ready,” Doohan told Speedcafe, echoing Ocon’s words. “I would have said that before him, but it carries a bit more weight. I was in the car with him and Pierre at the beginning of the year, and with all the data and debriefs, we can see exactly where we all stand, and it was nice to see, even after the winter, that we are all very close to each other. So I feel ready.”

Notified that two of his former rivals, Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman, have impressed in F1, Doohan notes that it is indeed an interesting point to gauge his own level: “That’s a valid point. I was in Formula 2 with both, I raced against Liam and Ollie. They are both great drivers.”

“I also made my mark in this category, where I had very good performances. I feel very comfortable in a Formula 1 car and have a lot of mileage under my belt in all sorts of circumstances. I feel more than ready if I had to make a leap and get a good result.”

A future directly linked to that of Ocon and Gasly

Doohan would like to have a contract for 2025 at Alpine, but he knows it’s still early to know what his future holds: “We’re just at the beginning. I’m letting Alpine and the people around me handle it. For now, I’m just trying to make myself attractive, marketable, and appealing.”

Bruno Famin has also praised Doohan’s work and his progress. The Alpine director admits that the Australian’s future depends on the current holders: “First of all, we are very happy and proud to have Jack in the academy. I think he has been trained and will be trained this year with a fairly long test program.”

“We’re going to start soon because we need a car, a chassis to carry out this program. And then, let’s say, the driver market will also be very dynamic. For now, I can say that we are satisfied with the drivers we have, of course.”

“But we are ready to face any scenario. And I think Jack needs to do testing to continue developing, improving. And let’s see what the future holds for him. But it is a bit early to answer this question.”