F1 team Alpine confirmed Monday that French driver Esteban Ocon has been released ahead of the final grand prix of the season and that Australian Jack Doohan will make his debut in Abu Dhabi.
The 21-year-old Doohan, son of former motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, was third in Formula 2 last year and has been a full-time reserve for Alpine in 2024.
Jack Doohan will drive in the final race of the F1 season.Credit: Alpine Media
His presence will again give F1 two Australian drivers on the grid next year alongside Oscar Piastri, who has shown his ability with victories at the Hungarian Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix for McLaren this season.
With so few seats available, F1 is one of the most competitive sports in the world. Doohan, the first driver to come through Alpine’s academy, will be only the 16th Australian to start in a race.
“There’s a lot of pride and joy,” Doohan said when he signed on with Alpine in August. “I haven’t thought about it in that perspective, regardless of Australia, it is a very exclusive club. There’s 20 seats.
“For this year, there was no driver change at all. It’s something that is very difficult to get into. I’m very happy regardless of what plays out, I can make my dream come true.”
Doohan has been Alpine’s reserve driver since the start of last year after rising through the ranks in Formula 3 and Formula 2. The role had been formerly filled by Piastri before his graduation to the F1 grid with McLaren. Doohan and Piastri go back a long way to their days karting as kids.
Motorcyclist Mick Doohan was a force on two wheels in the 1990s in what is now known as MotoGP, winning five straight titles from 1994-98 at a time when international races were broadcast on free to air late on Sunday nights and the early hours of Monday mornings.
Doohan, though, does not feel any pressure that comes with the family name.
“It’s something I’m very familiar with early days in karting or racing, and in the single-seaters,” Doohan said when he signed his contract. “[I] very quickly found out my dad’s last name can only get me so far. I think if it was on two wheels there’d be some expectation.”
Alpine had announced in June that Ocon would leave at the end of the season after a troubled start to the year in Formula 1 for him and the French-owned team.
The team said in a statement that the line-up change would allow Ocon to take part in post-season tests with his new team Haas.
Doohan will be Pierre Gasly’s teammate.
Alpine had announced in June that Ocon would leave at the end of the season after a troubled start to the year in Formula 1 for him and the French-owned team.
The 28-year-old Ocon was in 14th place in the driver’s standings. He crashed out of the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.
Gasly was 11th in the standings and the two Frenchmen have had a tense working relationship at times, after being friends and rivals in their junior karting days.
Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016 with Manor and joined the then-Renault team for 2020. His sole career win came at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021 for Alpine after a crash in wet conditions took out much of the field.
Ocon has three other podium finishes, including an unexpected second place at the Brazilian GP last month. Gasly placed third in a rare bright spot for the beleaguered Alpine team, which is battling with Haas for fifth place in the constructors’ championship heading into the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP this weekend.
Ocon will partner 19-year-old British driver Ollie Bearman at Haas next season.
Staff writers with AP
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