Jack Doohan said he had an “option” to race for Alpine this weekend, but this wording has since been clarified given its connotations.
The Australian rookie is making his debut in Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi to replace Haas-bound Esteban Ocon, with the Frenchman having agreed an early exit from the team.
Jack Doohan ‘option’ reveal clarified during Abu Dhabi debut
Doohan, who had already been signed as a full-time Alpine driver for next season regardless, makes the step up for his Grand Prix bow in Abu Dhabi this weekend, and he had said there was an “option” for him to drive this weekend.
“Being in a position of being reserve driver, and I have the option to race for this last race, which is ahead of my 2025 season, so it’s just a great opportunity for me,” Doohan said to Sky F1 in Abu Dhabi.
When asked to clarify about the contractual option for the last race of this season, he elaborated: “Yeah, I had an option.
“The team decided that it was best for Esteban to participate in the test [with Haas].
“They came to an agreement, so I was able to then fulfil my duties as replacing him for this race.”
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But given that the wording ‘option’ could imply that he had it within his contract for 2025 to take part in the last race of 2024, Sky’s Ted Kravitz, who conducted that interview with Doohan, clarified firmly that Doohan did not have it in his contract that he would have an option for this season, but rather he was the team’s candidate to replace a race driver in his position as reserve.
He explained: “Sometimes in Formula 1, when a driver says, ‘I had an option’, it means that they had something in their contract, which said that they had an option for a race drive at some point in the season.
“I want to stress that is not the case with Jack Doohan. He meant it in ‘if there was an opportunity, I was the team’s option to fill in the seat’, and that’s exactly what happened.
“They came to a deal with Esteban Ocon to release him from his Alpine duties early, and in that case, their option was to take the services of Jack Doohan, given that he’s racing there next year.”
As a result of his deal to be released early from Alpine, Ocon will be taking part in post-season testing for Haas next week at Yas Marina.
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