Where does Jack Doohan, Alpine Racing's new driver for the 2025 Formula 1 season, come from? Sport Auto looks at the Australian's motor racing career ahead of his debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Promoted to everyone's surprise in place of Esteban Ocon this weekend at Yas Marina, Jack Doohan will experience a baptism of fire on the most coveted starting grid on the motorsport planet. Portrait.
Jack Doohan: a convincing debut in Karting
Doohan: a name that resonates loud and clear in the skies of motor sports. Not on four but on two wheels. Jack, born January 20, 2003 in Gold Coastin thee Queensland Australiais none other than the offspring of the legendary Mick Doohanfive-time motorcycle world champion in 500 cc.
Suffice to say that the passion for racing is inscribed in thefamily DNA. From the age of nine, little Jack discovered the thrill of speed through Karting via a first machine offered by… Michael Schumacher !
In the country, the son Doohan distinguished himself from his first years in competition, winning several national titles in 2015 and 2016, in parallel with several participations in the prestigious Superkarts!USA SupertNationals from Las Vegas.
Like other Australians before him like Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo and today Oscar Piastrihe attempts the adventure of racing in distant Europe.
Under the colors of the factory team Tony Kart then the private team Ricky Flynn Motorsportwhere some of his future colleagues in F1 evolved like Lando Norris or Piastri, he disputes the FIA Karting championship et WSK with some good results to come.
Jack Doohan: the single-seater school
Jack Doohan then joined the Red Bull Junior Team and attempted the jump from single-seaters in 2018, competing 44 courses (!) in the British, Italian and German championships (now defunct). Across the Channel, the Australian won several victories and finished in the top 5 overall.
In 2019, he competed two Asian Formula 3 competitions with a nice batch of podiums and a few victories to boot, while riding in Euroformula Open.
THE F3 doors open to him in 2020 but with sawtooth results with HWA Racelab. His second campaign, in 2021 at Tridentsees it gaining momentum with two victories and a vice-championship title. He also tastes F2 with MP Motorsport and wins his ticket in the antechamber of the Grands Prix in 2022 under the aegis of Virtuosi Racing.
Six successes in two seasons and a third place overall in 2023 deserves to be integrated into the development program of‘Alpine Racing as reserve pilot.
He tested an F1 for the first time, a A521at Losail, at Monza and at the Hungaroring before carrying out his first EL1 as part of a Grand Prix in Mexico then at Yas Marina.
Following the announcement that Esteban Ocon will not continue under the colors of Enstone in 2025, Alpine announced its tenure for a single 2025 season alongside Pierre Gasly.
Bombarded in the thick of the matter at the conclusion of the season, Doohan will have a lot to do at the wheel of a single-seater that has hardly given satisfaction in 2024, before focusing on the biggest challenge of his careera complete F1 World Championship, at the age of 22 ans (he will have them on January 20).
