Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Jack Doohan

  • Alpine confirm Colapinto to replace Doohan

    Alpine have confirmed that Franco Colapinto will replace Jack Doohan for the next five race weekends, starting from this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the team deciding to “rotate” the race seat alongside Pierre Gasly.

    The news comes following the confirmation that Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes had resigned with immediate effect.
    Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore will be covering the duties previously performed by the Brit.

    Having previously served as a reserve driver for the Enstone based team, it was announced last summer that Doohan was set to be promoted to the main race squad for 2025.

    The 22 year old was then given an earlier-than-expected debut at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi, following the departure of Haas-bound Esteban Ocon.

    After starting his first full-time campaign this year, Doohan has struggled to match teammate Gasly, and his troubles continued last time out in Miami, where he retired from the race following a lap 1 collision with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

    Now Alpine have announced that Doohan’s seat will be filled by Colapinto for the next five rounds with the Argentinian having been signed to the outfit as one of their roster of reserve drivers following his impressive nine-race run as a substitute for Williams in 2024.

    As part of an on-going assessment of its driver line-up, the team has made the decision to rotate one of its race seats for the next five rounds of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship. BWT Alpine Formula One Team therefore announces that Franco Colapinto will be paired with Pierre Gasly from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, ahead of a new evaluation before the British Grand Prix in July. Jack Doohan remains an integral part of the team and will be the first-choice Reserve Driver for this period of time.
    Alpine’s statement.

    Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races. I will work hard with the team to prepare for the next race in Imola and the upcoming triple-header, which will no doubt be intense and a big challenge for everyone. I have stayed sharp, and I am as ready as possible with the team’s race support testing programme, as well as on the simulator at Enstone. I will do my best to get up to speed quickly and give it my all to deliver the best possible results alongside Pierre.
    Colapinto on the news.

    I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream. Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing. That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those. For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.
    Doohan on the news.

  • Alpine confirm Doohan to race in Abu Dhabi

    Alpine have confirmed that Jack Doohan will be making his F1 race debut earlier than expected in the season closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the team releasing Esteban Ocon in a deal that allows the French driver to participate in the post-season test for new team Haas.

    It was confirmed back in June that Ocon would be departing the Enstone-based team after the 2024 season, bringing his five-year spell at the team to an end.
    News later followed that he would be switching to Haas for 2025, where he will be partnered by rookie Ollie Bearman.

    Alpine, meanwhile went on to confirm that reserve driver Doohan would become part of their line-up next season as teammate to the incumbent Pierre Gasly – but now the Australian is set to get his first taste of a Grand Prix sooner than thought.

    While this means that Ocon will not be a part of the 58 lap finale, he will still get to put in some mileage at the Yas Marina Circuit when he gets behind the wheel for Haas at the end of season test.

    It comes after Ocon faced a difficult weekend in Qatar, having lined up at the back of the grid before seeing his race end at the first corner following a Lap 1 collision with Hulkenberg and Colapinto.

    BWT Alpine Formula One Team announces that Reserve Driver Jack Doohan will race in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in place of Esteban Ocon. The change allows Esteban to be released to Haas to drive in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Jack, who has already been announced as an official driver for the 2025 season alongside Pierre Gasly, will race with the #61 as his registered Reserve Driver number and will also participate in the end-of-season test for the team at the Yas Marina Circuit. The team would like to thank Esteban for his time at the team and he will remain part of the team’s history achieving the first win for Alpine in Formula 1. We wish Esteban the best for the future.
    Alpine’s Statement.

    I think it comes from all sides really. I guess you could say it’s good to get Jack in early, I think you could say from Esteban’s side it’s good to move on early. I think it suits everybody, so I think the discussion was quite natural really, and I think Esteban’s been a big part of this team as well and from both sides it suits each other.
    Oakes on whether the move was prompted by the team or Ocon’s camp.

  • Doohan promoted to F1 with Alpine

    Alpine have announced that current reserve driver, Jack Doohan, will complete their line-up for the 2025 season – who is replacing Esteban Ocon as Pierre Gasly’s team mate.

    Australian racer Doohan, 21, has been part of Alpine’s dedicated academy since 2022, moving over to the operation after parting ways with the Red Bull junior set-up.

    Son of former 500cc motorcycle world champion, Mick, he placed third in last year’s F2 championship with three race wins, adding to a runner-up classification in the 2021 F3 standings.

    Doohan has been linked to a potential promotion with Alpine throughout the 2024 season, with those rumours stepping up a gear in the wake of the news that Ocon is moving to Haas.

    The Australian has racked up plenty of mileage in F1 machinery with Alpine over the last couple of years to prepare for an opening, completing a host of private tests and appearing in six FP1 sessions to date – Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2022 and 2023, and Canada and Britain earlier this year.

    Alpine added that Doohan will continue his role as reserve driver for the remaining of the season, taking part in regular tests with the 2022-spec A522 F1 car, as well as duties in the team’s simulator on select race weekends.

    I am so happy to secure promotion into a full-time race seat in 2025 with BWT Alpine F1 Team. I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team’s senior management. There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up. It’s exceptionally satisfying to be the first graduate of the Alpine Academy to be in a race seat with the team and I’m extremely thankful to those who supported me along the way to make this a reality. It’s an exciting moment, a proud day for my family, and I look forward to taking it all in and pushing hard behind the scenes.
    Doohan on the news.

    We are very excited to promote Jack into the race seat from next season and, in doing so, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skill and talent in Formula 1. Jack will become the first driver to graduate from the Alpine Academy into a race driver position with the team, so that is exceptionally pleasing for the team and its young driver pathway. Personally, I have worked with Jack back in 2019 and I am fully aware of his raw talent and potential. He is a very hard worker behind the scenes and his commitment is hugely valued by the entire team. Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good combination between youthful energy, experience, and pure speed. We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre in order to keep developing the car and bring the team up the grid.
    Oliver Oakes, Alpine’s Team Principal.

  • Alpine confirm Doohan for FP1

    Alpine have confirmed that Jack Doohan will make his second FP1 outing of the Formula 1 season at the British Grand Prix weekend.

    Doohan previously drove Esteban Ocon’s A524 in FP1 in Canada, but was only able to complete three laps – without setting a time – due to the wet weather seen in Montreal that day.
    But the Australian will get a second chance behind the wheel – this time Pierre Gasly’s car – during FP1 at Silverstone.

    A former FIA Formula 3 runner-up and the third-placed driver in last year’s F2 standings, with the 21 year old continuing to push for a drive with Alpine on next year’s F1 grid.

    The team currently have one seat vacant for 2025 following the confirmation, in the run-up to the Austrian Grand Prix that Pierre Gasly has committed his future to the team with a new multi-year extension.
    With Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz still to decide on his future, and Alpine reported to be interested in securing his services, Doohan’s Silverstone opportunity gives him another chance show his talent.

    In addition to his FP1 outings and simulator duties at Enstone, Doohan – son of former 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick – has also completed several test sessions with Alpine over the last couple of years in his quest to become a full time member of the F1 grid.

  • Doohan to drive in FP1

    Alpine have announced that reserve driver, Jack Doohan will take Esteban Ocon’s place during Friday’s opening free practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix.

    Under the sport’s current regulations, each F1 team must run a rookie in two FP1 sessions each campaign.

    Doohan has made four practice appearances as an Alpine junior so far, getting his first experiences in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2022 and making further outings at the same venues in 2023.

    A former FIA Formula 3 runner-up and the third-placed driver in last year’s F2 standings, the Australian’s latest run comes as he pushes to secure a full-time seat with Alpine.

    Alpine announced on the eve of this weekend’s Montreal event that they will part ways with Esteban Ocon at the end of the current campaign, ending a five-year collaboration.
    It means that at least one seat is available at the Renault-backed operation for next season, with incumbent Pierre Gasly’s place beyond 2024 yet to be confirmed.

    In addition to his four FP1 outings, and simulator duties at Enstone, Doohan has completed several test sessions with Alpine over the last couple of years – the latest coming in their 2022-spec A522 at Zandvoort last month.

    Really excited to get out on track in Montreal for FP1. It will be my first time driving at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which I am looking forward to.  I am grateful to the team for the opportunity to get more track time, and also familiarise myself with 2024 machinery early in the season. This will also help with the work I am doing in the simulator, particularly at the European rounds. My focus will be on doing the best for the team and maximising the session for both drivers, looking at certain test items and understanding the new track surface.
    Doohan on the news.

  • F2 – RND 14 – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Getting a better launch off the line, Vesti stole the inside line into Turn 1 and went side by side with Fittipaldi, though the Rodin Carlin driver emerged out of Turn 3 ahead.

    Capitalising on their duel, Hadjar and Verschoor made it four wide down the back straight. Both managed to slip past either side of Vesti and demote the title contender to fourth. In contrast, Championship leader Pourchaire was already on the cusp of points, climbing from P14 to ninth.

    The Safety Car was deployed at the end of the opening lap after Juan Manuel Correa spun at Turn 3. Victor Martins found himself caught up in it leaving him with nosecone damage and forcing him to pit for repairs.

    Back to racing conditions on lap 6, Fittipaldi aced his restart, immediately pulling half a second clear of Hadjar. Vesti wasted no time making up for lost ground, squeezing up alongside Verschoor down to Turn 6 to snatch third.

    On the fringes of the points, Jack Doohan steadily made his way up from P10, swooping ahead of Ayumu Iwasa after the DAMS driver went wide out of Turn 9. Meanwhile Pourchaire was trying to put together a charge of his own, going late on the brakes to wrestle eighth from Kush Maini and nosing his own way past Iwasa for 7th.

    Told to push for the fastest lap, Vesti began hunting down Hadjar and was on the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver’s tail by the time they reached Lap 10. Hadjar opted to go early on the defence but couldn’t stop the Mercedes junior’s charge, as Vesti took third around the outside of Turn 9.

    Vesti loomed large in Fittipaldi’s mirrors and was eyeing up moves for the lead. A lock up by the Rodin Carlin car handed Vesti a chance, but he too locked up through the Turn 5 hairpin. Fittipaldi tried to break the tow, but another mistake at the same corner three laps later was the moment for Vesti.

    Benefitting from better grip, he dived up the inside of the Brazilian into Turn 6 to snatch the lead. Instantly breaking free of Fittipaldi behind, Vesti pulled out of the DRS window and reached the chequered flag a comfortable 3.8 seconds clear of the Red Bull Junior.

    Day 3-

    Doohan held the lead comfortably at lights out while Kush Maini cleared Martins to take second, with the latter opting for mediums for the start. Further back, Vesti was up to eighth at Turn 1, passing Richard Verschoor having also started on the yellow-walled tyres.

    Starting on the softs, Pourchaire was on the cusp of the points by the end of the opening lap, but an opportunistic Oliver Bearman snatched 10th from the ART driver to leave him 11th going into lap 2.

    Those on softs nursed their tyres in the early stages, and Iwasa was in as soon as the pitstop window opened on lap 7, he was joined by Pourchaire both swapping to the medium compound tyres and rejoining in 19th and 20th respectively.

    Zane Maloney, Isack Hadjar and Dennis Hauger made their way to the pits on lap 9 for their mandatory stops, but a slow release for the Hitech driver dropped him behind the Norwegian on pit exit.
    Pourchaire was ahead of all three after a dive to the inside of Hauger at Turn 5 as he continued to make the most of his fresh rubber.

    Having led from the start, Doohan relinquished the lead on lap 10 to fit the mediums. The Australian was back out in 12th position, three seconds clear of Maini, who found himself under pressure from Iwasa.

    Now in clear air, Vesti set about closing the gap to new leader Martins who was six seconds up the road. That gap was down to four seconds by lap 15 as the PREMA driver took a minimum of two-tenths of a second per lap out of the Alpine Junior’s advantage.

    After forcing Iwasa to depend one lap earlier, Maloney was pressuring the Dams for P5 on the road as the Japanese driver desperately attempted to keep him back. The Rodin Carlin man fought his way by at Turn 6 and was late on the brakes at Turn 9 in his efforts to keep the position, but Iwasa bravely fought back around the outside to hold on.

    On lap 26, Vesti managed to pass Pourchaire into Turn 6 and once again, Pourchaire slipstreamed his way past by Turn 9. It was third time lucky for Vesti as he waited for DRS out of Turn 8 to clear his championship rival and claim fifth position.

    Entering the final lpa of the season, Vesti drew to within DRS range of Maloney in the fight for third. The Bajan driver went defensive into Turn 6 opening up the chance for Vesti on the run to Turn 9. The pair banged wheel on corner exit, sending Maloney into a spin and leaving the PREMA driver in third.

    Doohan secured a comfortable victory by 3.8s from Martins with Vesti rounding out the podium, but it was Pourchaire and ART Grand Prix’s day, as they secured the double with the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles.

  • F2 – RND 14 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Victor Martins left it until the last minute but was the man to beat in the final Free Practice of the 2023 Formula 2 season.
    The ART Grand Prix driver ended the first session of the weekend on top after setting a 1:37.389.

    Zane Maloney put Rodin Carlin second with a late effort of his own while Theo Pourchaire kicked off a potentially title-winning weekend as third quickest. Title rivals Ayumu Iwasa and Frederik Vest finished seventh and ninth respectively.

    Newcomers Paul Aron and Franco Colapinto were on the track early to get some mileage under their belts ahead of their debut. The latter suffered a spin coming through the right-hander of turn 11 in the early running but was able to avoid the barriers and continue on his way.

    After a relatively quiet start to the session, the circuit filled up quickly approaching half an hour remaining as the majority of the field headed onto track. Nissany lowered the time to beat to a 1:38.492 on his next flying lap to lead by 0.6s from Maloney.
    The red flags were out soon after as Arthur Leclerc came to a halt in his DAMS between turns 1 and 2.

    Doohan briefly went to P1 after running resumed, but it was beaten in quick succession. Pourchaire was pipped by teammate Martins by 0.022s with the rookie setting a 1:38.219 to take the spot from the Championship leader.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maloney, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Doohan, P5: Verschoor, P6: Boschung, P7: Iwasa, P8: Correa, P9: Vesti and P10: Maini.

    Qualifying-

    Invicta Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan secured the final pole position of the season with a 1:35.567, beating out Alpine Academy drivers Victor Martins and Kush Maini.

    In the title fight, Theo Pourchaire has a difficult weekend ahead of him after missing the top 10 and ending qualifying down in 14th position. Direct rival, Frederik Vesti will start tomorrow’s Sprint Race from the reserve grid front row after ending the session in ninth.

    Trident’s Roman Stanek was the first to get a time on the board with a 1:37.591. His effort didn’t stay top for long as Ayumu Iwasa went quickest with a 1:37.181, three tenths ahead of Amaury Cordeel.

    Martins jumped straight back into things after topping Free Practice, launching himself 0.489s clear of the DAMS’ driver on a 1:36.692. Doohan sliced the ART Grand Prix driver’s advantage to two tenths, as Ralph Boschung and Maini slotted both Campos Racing cars inside the top four.

    After a brief break in the pitlane, the field were back out with 16 minutes remaining. Iwasa regained the fastest time on a 1:36.085, and Martins’ response left him 0.008s adrift of the DAMS driver.

    However, Doohan was on a charge, breaking into the 1:35s and rocketing up into provisional pole, two tenths ahead of Maini. Martins and Iwasa tried to find an answer for the Australian but couldn’t.
    Doohan showed no signs of slowing down, bettering his previous effort to snatch pole by over two tenths.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Martins, P3: Maini, P4: Maloney, P5: Iwasa, P6: Hauger, P7: Verschoor, P8: Hadjar, P9: Vesti and P10: Fittipaldi.

  • Doohan set for FP1 sessions

    Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will get behind the wheel for the Alpine F1 team during first practice in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

    The 20 year old is currently sitting fourth in the F2 drivers’ standings with one round remaining.
    Doohan – now into his second season with the Alpine Academy – previously took part in the same two FP1 sessions for the outit during the latter stages of the 2022 campaign.

    Despite his first outing in Mexcio City being cut short due to “anomalies” on his Renault power unit, the Australian admitted that the memory of making his Formula 1 weekend debut was something he would “cherish forever”.

    Now Doohan will return to the cockpit when he drives the A523 with F1 teams required to run a young driver – defined as someone who has started no more than two Grands Prix – in two FP1 sessions per season.

    The Abu Dhabi weekend will feature both the Formula 1 and Formula 2 season finales so it is likely to be a busy event for Doohan who enter the F2 final round with a seven point advantage over fellow Alpine Academy driver Victor Martins.

    Very grateful to BWT Alpine F1 team for the opportunity to drive the A523 in Free practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Can’t wait to go through the motions in a weeks time and hop into the car!

    Doohan took to Instagram to share the news.

  • F2 – RND 10 – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Hauger gained the run he needed on the way to Turn 1 to take the inside line and lead away from Kush Maini. Iwasa surged around the outside of the Campos driver at Turn 2 to take second from fifth on the grid, while Bearman was looming large in Maini’s mirrors for third.

    Victor Martins also got in on the action, moving up to seventh from P9 on the grid, rounding Isack Hadjar at Turn 12 to end a busy opening lap.

    Frederik Vesti tried to pass Hadjar at Turn 1 on lap 2 but was forced to take to the runoff. It allowed Jack Doohan enough momentum to go around the outside of the Championship leader and take ninth from the Dane at Turn 2.

    A DRS train formed in the first 10 laps which started from second down to 21st as drivers looked to save tyre life for later in the race.

    The formation running ended on lap 12 after a lock up by Clement Novalak into Turn 1 put the Trident driver on a collision course with Ralph Boschung. It left both drivers out of the running and brought out a brief VSC.

    With 11 laps to go, Iwasa was given the all clear from the team to push, and the action ramped up once again as everyone upped the pace. The DAMS driver closed up to Hauger by eight tenths of a second on the following lap, with the gap at 1.9s entering the final 10 laps.

    With five laps left, Pourchaire made the dive at Turn 1 on Maini having been stuck to the rear wing of the Campos. Bearman was next on the attack, taking fourth position from the Indian driver at the next corner, going all the way around the outside.

    Down to three laps remaining and this time Bearman was the one making the late dive to the inside at Turn 1, forcing his way through on Pourchaire to take P3 from the french driver.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hauger, P2: Iwasa, P3: Bearman, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Daruvala, P6: Maini, P7: Martins, P8: Hadjar, P9: Vesti and P10: Doohan.

    Day 3-

    Doohan got a great launch from pole to lead into Turn 1 while third placed Vesti went wheel to wheel with Martins into the first corner. On the run to Turn 2, the PREMA Racing driver got the move done to seal second position.

    Oliver Bearman started on mediums from seventh, but the Briton fell back to ninth on the opening lap, passed by Dennis Hauger and Enzo Fittipaldi who were both on the softs. Juan Manuel Correa made an electric start to move up five places to P10.

    Zane Maloney was the first of those on soft tyres to make a mandatory stop on Lap 8. The Rodin Carlin driver rejoined in 21st but his stopped dragged a few more in on the following lap.

    Isack Hadjar was the first of the top five to stop on Lap 13 from fifth and Theo Pourchaire responded one lap later, both swapping to the mediums. The ART Grand Prix driver rejoined in 14th to remain ahead of his compatriot, but both were caught up behind Amaury Cordeel on old medium tyres.

    Vesti made the swap to mediums lap 23, rejoining in fourth position just 1.4s ahead of title rival Pourchaire.
    Martins pitted on the following lap and filtered out on cold tyres ahead of Vesti. The Mercedes junior breezed back through to take the place on the run to Turn 2.

    While his rivals scrapped on track, Doohan made his stop on Lap 25, rejoining with the lead of the race and 8.7s ahead of closest challenger Vesti in second.
    Iwasa was onto the back of Pourchaire quickly with his soft tyres fired up. The Japanese driver got the switchback out of Turn 1 to take fifth position on Lap 26.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Vesti, P3: Martins, P4: Iwasa, P5: Hadjar, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Hauger, P8: Fittipaldi, P9: Correa and P10: Verschoor.

  • F2 – RND 10 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Ayumu Iwasa was quickly up and running around the Hungaroring, ending the first session of the weekend fastest of all for DAMS.
    The Japanese driver traded the top spot with Championship leader, Frederik Vesti throughout Practice. He ended up top of the timesheet with a 1:28.882, 0.149s quicker than the Dane. Martins rounded out the top three.

    The ART Grand Prix driver set the initial pace with a 1:30.839 to lead the way from Roman Stanek and Jack Doohan in the opening 10 minutes.

    Iwasa bettered the Frenchman’s effort before Vesti took the top spot, setting a 1:29.360 after losing a previous attempt for exceeding track limits.
    Martins immediately moved back to P2, 0.060s down on the best time from the PREMA Racing driver.

    Doohan was looking set to challenge the top three, setting a purple middle sector but his efforts were soon undone with a lock-up and wide moment at Turn 12.

    Qualifying-

    Jack Doohan claimed his first FIA Formula 2 pole position of the year with a last-gasp effort in a closely fought session. The Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver’s 1:27.676 prevented a third consecutive pole position for Victor Martins with the ART Grand Prix driver second in the end.
    Frederik Vesti, held provisional pole for much of the session, but couldn’t find a late improvement, settling for third.

    After the early warm up laps, Vesti set the benchmark to beat on a 1:28.334 to lead the way. Doohan popped his car into second early on, 0.2s back from the Dane with Martins third.

    Improvements by Enzo Fittipaldi, Ayumu Iwasa and Dennis Hauger put them fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, bumping Doohan down to P7 before a red flag appears.

    Trident’s Roman Stanek caused the stoppage after spinning into the barriers at Turn 11, with just under 20 minutes of Qualifying left.

    With 12 minutes to go, the drivers switched to new soft tyres. With Pourchaire next to go top by just 0.001s ahead of his title rival until Vesti retook P1.
    Teammate, Oliver Bearman cracked the top five on his next lap to go fourth fastest ahead of Jehan Daruvala, who leapt up to fifth for MP Motorsport.

    Martins had made an error on an earlier effort but with a purple middle sector, took provisional pole by 0.039s but this time Vesti couldn’t respond.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Martins, P3: Vesti, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Hadjar, P6: Iwasa, P7: Bearman, P8: Daruvala, P9: Hauger and P10: Maini.

  • Doohan becomes Alpine reserve

    Alpine have announced that Jack Doohan will be acting as the squad’s reserve driver during the upcoming F1 season. As it marks the next step for the Aussie after his recent test and practice outings.

    Doohan joined the Alpine Academy from Red Bull’s junior programme in 2022, combining work for the F1 team with a second F2 campaign which yielded three wins, three pole positions and sixth in the standings.

    In the closing stages of the year, Doohan also made his official Grand Prix weekend debut with FP1 outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. Now, having also taken part in the 2022 post-season test in Abu Dhabi, 20 year-old Doohan has been given the official title of Alpine reserve driver.

    It means he will be called upon should regular Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly – the latter arriving from AlphaTauri to replace Aston Martin bound Fernando Alonso – be unable to compete.

    Alongside his F1 reserve duties, Doohan will be continuing to compete in F2 for a third campaign in 2023, sticking with the Virtuosi Racing squad as Alpine set him the target of claiming the title.

  • Virtuosi confirm Doohan & Cordeel

    Virtuosi racing has announced its driver line-up for the 2023 FIA Formula 2 season, with Jack Doohan remaining with the team and Amaury Cordeel joins him.

    The Australian driver embarks on his second campaign with Virtuosi after achieving three victories this season, including a stand-out weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. Doohan ended the sprint race on the podium in P2 before going on to claim the Feature Race win on Sunday.

    He was also prolific in Qualifying, taking three pole positions across the season as well as a further three podiums in 2022.

    I’m thrilled to be continuing with Virtuosi Racing for my second year in Formula 2. After a strong first season together, I couldn’t be happier to be going into 2023 with the same great team around me. I can’t wait to get redemption from this season.

    Doohan remaining with the team.

    Cordeel joins Virtuosi on the back of a rookie campaign in F2 that ended with an improvement in form. The Belgian driver returned from the summer break and put together his most consistent run to date, scoring four times in the final six races.

    It included a season best at Yas Marina , finishing 5th in the Sprint Race and 6th in the Feature Race.

    I’m very happy to say I will be driving with virtuosi in F2 next year. It is clear that Virtuosi is among the top teams which will only make my personal growth better. I already noticed with the three-day test in Abu Dhabi that they support me insanely well. The second half of last season is very promising for next year. I am sure that together with them I can achieve my future dreams. Really thankful for this opportunity.

    Cordeel on his new seat.

    We’re delighted to be sticking with Jack for 2023. Jack enjoyed a brilliant rookie season with us and showed obvious potential for more. Together, we will be working hard to ensure he achieves that. Amaury’s results improved over his rookie year and we’ll be looking to work with him to improve further in 2023. Amaury settled into our car well during the Abu Dhabi post-season test and we’re looking forward to getting to it in 2023.

    Andy Roche, Virtuosi team boss.

  • Doohan FP1 sessions

    Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will be making his Formula 1 race weekend debut at the Mexico City Grand Prix when he drives for Alpine in the opening practice.

    Doohan, is part of Alpine’s Driver Academy, will tackle the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Esteban Ocon’s car. As well as this he will get a second outing in FP1 in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.

    Mexico will be the second time the 19 year old has sampled 2022-spec machinery, having completed the permitted 100km of running on demonstration tyres during the teams filming day at Monza last month.

    Doohan, son of five time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick, has also tested last year’s Alpine this season through test days in Qatar in May, Monza in June and Budapest in September.

    The Australian, is currently fourth in his debut season in F2, having stepped up a class after finishing second in F3 in 2021. He has won three races this season, plus scored three further podiums and three pole positions and is in the hunt to claim third in the standings.

    Doohan is Alpine’s most high-profile junior driver following the departure of F2 champion Oscar Piastri who will be making his F1 race debut alongside Lando Norris at McLaren next year.

    I’m extremely grateful to Alpine for giving me this opportunity to drive in Free Practice in Mexico. It’s always a huge honour to be entrusted to drive a Formula 1 car, so to have the opportunity on a Grand Prix weekend is very special. Ultimately, the aim is to be doing this every week and this experience is another step closer to achieving that goal. I’ve prepared as best as I can, and I think it’s going to be very exciting to experience the car at this type of circuit with the high altitude and very high top speed. I’ll work hard on the day, do everything the team sets out and, at the same time, enjoy the moment as I know it’s going to be a unique opportunity.

    Jack Doohan on FP1 sessions.

    We are very pleased to announce Jack will join the team in Mexico and take over driving duties for Free Practice 1. We have all been impressed with Jack’s progression across many areas this season and he’s deserving of this chance as we continue to nurture his high potential. It’s important to give our young drivers opportunities to test Formula 1 cars and our Academy programme has proven to be successful in doing just that. We expect Jack to work hard during the session and take as much as he can from the experience of being involved in a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.

    Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal.

  • F2 Spa- Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Greeted by cold and dry conditions, the mist loomed high over the Belgian hills and there were plenty of unknowns heading into the first race of the weekend after a lack of race runs in a highly disrupted practice session.

    Whilst Ralph Boschung assumed his spot on reverse grid pole on his return to the the track after suffering an injury, Jehan Daruvala’s day was brought to an early end before the lights had even gone out as the PREMA Racing driver pulled over on the reconnaissance lap.

    Unfortunately for the Swiss driver, the Belgian circuit isn’t short of overtaking opportunities. All over the back of the race leader, the Red Bull liveried Carlin sailed up into P1 along the Kemmel Straight.

    The race made a turn on Lap 11, Logan Sargeant lost his rear end on the exit of Pouhom and skidded into the barriers, triggering the Safety Car.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Lawson, P2: Doohan, P3: Boschung, P4: Drugovich, P5: Verschoor, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Armstrong, P8: Beckmann, P9: Iwasa and P10: Hauger.

    Day 3-

    Drugovich surged off the line and Doohan cleared Enzo Fittipaldi to take second into La Source. David Beckmann followed through down the Kemmel Straight on the Charouz Racing System at Les Combes to take third.

    Theo Pourchaire’s title hopes took a major hit, as he slid down the order and out of the race with an issue. Richard Verschoor took fifth from the Charouz on the next lap, using DRS.

    Fittipaldi and Sargeant were the first to pit for mediums on Lap 8, feeding back out in 14th and 15th places respectively. Lawson responded on the following lap, but it was a slow stop for the Carlin driver.

    Juri Vips and Lirim Zendeli were the first of those on mediums to swap to softs on Lap 15 whilst Verschoor and Iwasa continued to extend their stints at the front.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Drugovich, P3: Lawson, P4: Verschoor, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Sargeant, P7: Beckmann, P8: Iwasa, P9: Vips and P10: Novalak.

  • F2 Silverstone – Day 2 & 3

    F2 Silverstone – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    After two formation laps behind the Safety Car, it gave drivers a sight of the conditions they would be starting in. Jehan Daruvala led comfortably when the race did get going, as most drivers played it safe on the opening lap, apart from Jake Hughes who was the only one to capitalise and gain a place.

    Vesti and Drugovich went into combat on lap 2 and the pair were side by side through Village, banging tyres through the loop onto the Wellington Straight. But into Brooklands, Vesti dived to the inside and claimed eighth place from the MP driver.

    As the track continued to dry, some drivers started to complain of overheating wet tyres, but Doohan was finding a rhythm. He took from Juri Vips into Village on Lap Five, diving down the inside and claiming the place. Daruvala had already been complaining of graining rear tyres and Fittipaldi took full advantage.

    Once more, Doohan was on the move through the Village – Loop section, this time taking the lead from Fittipaldi on lap seven after the Brazilian went deep at Village. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson was struggling massively having sustained front wing damage, he was soon passed by both ART GP along with Drugovich to drop him to 9th. Carlin then pitted him for repairs that dropped him down to last at the end of the lap.

    But it was Jack Doohan who took his first F2 victory and the teams home win aswell. Iwasa came home to finish second and he was joined by Fittipaldi to round out the podium.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Iwasa, P3: Fittipaldi, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Drugovich, P6: Vesti, P7: Sargeant, P8: Daruvala, P9: Armstrong and P10: Verschoor.

    Day 3-

    The first American on pole in Formula 2 history, Sargeant nailed a perfect getaway at the lights went out, but the same couldn’t be said for Vesti who joined the pole man on the front row. Meanwhile his ART teammate Pourchaire dived down the middle to leap up from fourth to second off the line…

    There were changes up and down the top 10, as Lawson shot up into third from fifth, with fellow Red Bull junior, Iwasa slotting up into fourth having started sixth. Drugovich lost out to drop down to fifth, as Armstrong hopped up into the points-scoring places in P9.

    Their momentum, was stopped on Lap 2, as contact between Dennis Hauger and Roy Nissany brought out the safety car. Going wide into the Club chicane, Nissany dived back on to track and into the path of the PREMA, cutting back the DAMS driver tagged Hauger, launching the Norwegian driver over the top of his car. Luckily, both drivers got out of the car okay, and that’s the main thing! The Halo is doing its job once again…

    As the race drew towards its conclusion, time was of the essence to make moves stick. Vips got the better of his teammate for sixth. But on the cusp of his maiden victory, Sargeant’s work wasn’t over yet on the penultimate lap. Pourchaire was breathing down his neck as the ART had closed right within the one-second DRS window.

    But it was Logan Sargeant who was victorious at Silverstone, Pourchaire finished 2nd a good amount of points for the championship, and to make it an even better day for Carlin, Liam Lawson finishes 3rd!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Sargeant, P2: Pourchaire, P3: Lawson, P4: Drugovich, P5: Vesti, P6: Vips, P7: Daruvala, P8: Armstrong, P9: Doohan and P10: Hughes.

    We are back next week, for round 8 in Austria, as we have now reached the halfway point of the season! Who will be victorious at the Red Bull Ring?…

  • F2 Barcelona – Day 1

    F2 Barcelona – Day 1

    Round 4 for Formula 2 this weekend, lets take a look at how the first day went.

    Free Practice-

    Felipe Drugovich led the way in free practice after multiple red flag stoppages. The MP Motorsport driver, was almost a full half-second clear of the pack, with Jehan Daruvala and Logan Sargeant his closest challengers.

    Olli Caldwell and Marcus Armstrong both brought out the red flags during the session, with the Campos Racing driver spinning and hitting the wall at Turn 9. Meanwhile Armstrong became beached in the gravel at Turn 4 as drivers struggled for grip.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Drugovich, P2: Daruvala, P3: Sargeant, P4: Doohan, P5: Lawson, P6: Vips, P7: Iwasa, P8: Pourchaire, P9: Hauger and P10: Williams.

    Qualifying-

    Before we start looking at the qualifying result, Ralph Boschung has withdrawn from this weekend as he is suffering from neck pain and wasn’t able to continue after the practice session.

    Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan, left it last minute as he stormed to his second pole position in Formula 2, the Aussie managed to hold off an extremely late charge from HiTech’s Juri Vips which saw the Estonian driver leap up from last to second and ahead of ART’s Frederik Vesti in third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Vips, P3: Vesti, P4: Daruvala, P5: Sargeant, P6: Iwasa, P7: Pourchaire, P8: Hughes, P9: Williams and P10: Drugovich.

    Drugovich was meant to be starting on pole position for today’s sprint race but, he has a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Theo Pourchaire, so he now will be starting 4th. That promotes Calan Williams to pole position and Jake Hughes onto the front row.

  • F2 Bahrain- Day 1

    F2 Bahrain- Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Novalak had initially set the first laptime of the new Formula 2 season, with the Frenchman setting a 1:48.044. He then improved with his second tour of the track but it was Jake Hughes who jumped up to take P1 and setting a 1:45.294.

    Lawson’s first attempt at a flying lap put him second- half a second of Hughes, Marcus Armstrong briefly jumped ahead of him but the Carlin driver’s second attempt put him in first.

    PREMA’s Daruvala pushed Lawson down to second before Armstrong jumped ahead of him too, slotting into 2nd. MP Motorsport then bumped Daruvala down to third as Drugovich went first ahead of Novalak. With less than three minutes left, DAMS were able to break the MP pair up.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptime
    1Felipe DrugovichMP Motorsport1:44.484
    2Ayumu IwasaDAMS1:44.679
    3Roy NissanyDAMS1:44.754
    4Clement NovalakMP Motorsport1:44.769
    5Marcus ArmstrongHiTech Grand Prix1:44.833
    Top 5 Free Practice

    Qualifying-

    All 22 cars took to the track when the lights went green but the session was red-flagged due to Iwasa’s DAMS came to a halt. Once the car was off the track, the session then resumed, Jake Hughes and Amaury Cordeel the Van Amersfoort pair led the session.

    Hughes was sat in P1 after the first flying laps ended with a 1:41.469. The British driver kept on to the position as his second fast lap was enough to beat Felipe Drugovich to the top spot.

    But it was Jack Doohan who put himself on pole position for Sunday’s feature race, with Theo Pourchaire in P2 and Juri Vips in P3. Felipe Drugovich will start Saturday’s Sprint race in P1, with Verschoor lining up next to him and Jake Hughes in P3.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptime
    1Jack DoohanVirtuosi Racing1:40.542
    2Theo PourchaireART Grand Prix1:40.683
    3Juri VipsHiTech Grand Prix1:40.755
    4Logan SargeantCarlin1:40.760
    5Ralph BoschungCampos Racing1:41.000
    6Liam LawsonCarlin1:41.100
    7Jehan DaruvalaPREMA Racing1:41.115
    8Jake HughesVan Amersfoort Racing1:41.121
    9Richard VerschoorTrident1:41.178
    10Felipe DrugovichMP Motorsport1:41.210
    Top 10 Qualifying
  • Doohan joins Alpine Academy

    Doohan joins Alpine Academy

    Jack Doohan has been announced as a new member of the Alpine Academy, after leaving Red Bull’s Junior Team, the team he joined in 2017.

    The Virtuosi driver, enjoyed a stellar campaign in Formula 3 in 2021, winning four times and grabbing seven podiums as he finished as vice-champion to Dennis Hauger. This was an impressive turn around following on from a difficult rookie season with HWA Racelab, where he failed to take any points.

    The Australian said that a visit to the Alpine base in Enstone in October convinced him that their junior programme was the right place for him to continue his development.

    Alpine have moved to bolster their academy for 2022, with fellow F2 racer Olli Caldwell, while 2022 F3 races Caio Collet and Victor Martins having both been retained. The new line-up have just finished a training camp with the academy in Tenerife.

    2021 Alpine Academy duo, Oscar Piastri and Guanyu Zhou both fought for the title and have now graduated to Formula 1 roles, both drivers were heavily involved with the team behind the scenes, undertaking simulator work and testing F1 machinery.

    “The option came up for me to go to Alpine for the season and I had a bit of time to think about it and to decide what was going to be the best option for me moving forward,” explained Doohan. “The academy director Mia Sharizman invited me to go to the factory in late October last year. It wasn’t a certainty for me to join the academy then, it was just to go and get a feel for it, to do some physical tests and to see how I got on in that atmosphere. Within the first day, I felt at home. The relationship and the atmosphere was just what I needed and I was very happy with the structure that they’ve got going forward.”

    “We can basically go in there when we please,” said Doohan. “You have the whole team there to work with, whether that be engineers from the Formula 1 team or from the test team, so we have a huge base of knowledge that we can use going forward. I have got a really good trainer in David Thompson, who manages all things physical for us in the academy. There is on-track support as well from coaches and staff members to keep pushing us and to give us the confidence that we need to be able to get the results that they and we want, which is ultimately to win the Championship and to do as good as possible. The structure is only going to be beneficial for me going forward.”

  • UNI-Virtuosi 2022 line up

    So day number one after the final race of the season and its been a busy Monday, we have had UNI-Virtuosi confirm their driver lineup for the 2022 season.

    Their two drivers being Jack Doohan who is Formula Three’s Vice Champion taking one seat and then Marino Sato who drove for Trident this year has switched to the British team!

    The duo replace Felipe Drugovich and Guanyu Zhou, the latter graduating to Formula 1 after three years with the team.

    Doohan won four races, three podiums from seven rounds in Formula 3 this year and missed out to Dennis Hauger in the title battle, however he did help Trident to get the Teams Championship.

    2022 will be Doohan’s first full year in Formula 2, having taken part in the final two rounds this year where he scored a top five finish and qualified on the front row.

    “I’m very pleased and excited to join forces with Virtuosi Racing for our 2022 FIA Formula 2 campaign,” said Doohan.” I’m looking forward to continuing the team’s success and getting to work with the team in post-season testing this coming week!”

    22 year old Sato made his F2 debut in Monza back in 2019 with Campos before he made the switch to Trident for 2020 and 2021. The past two seasons he has took two points finishes.

    “It’s really a privilege to join a team that is fighting for the championship,” said Sato. “I have to say a big thank you to everyone involved in making this happen, and to the team for trusting me. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season!”

    My Opinion-

    I knew it wouldn’t be long until we saw an announcement for Jack! These past two F2 weekends have been good, scoring points, qualifying 2nd and doing some lovely battles on track whilst also learning the F2 car.

    I’m quite surprised Sato got announced, it will be interesting to see what he can do in the car next year, as the team has had a really good year finishing 2nd overall.

  • Doohan stepping up

    Another Formula 3 driver is making their Formula 2 debut this weekend, this time it is Jack Doohan and he will be joining MP Motorsport for the final two rounds of 2021.

    Doohan took part in Formula 3 this year which saw him battle Dennis Hauger, where h won four times and took two more podiums, he finished 2nd overall.

    The Australian will be replacing Richard Verschoor, due to the Dutchman having financial issues play part in the final two rounds of 2021 which is a massive shame just like all the other drivers this year. Doohan will be partnering up with his 2021 Trident teammate Clément Novalak who will also be making his Formula 2 debut this weekend.

    “I am very excited and very happy to be partnering with MP Motorsport for the final two rounds of the Formula 2 Championship,” said Doohan. “It is an amazing opportunity. I cannot thank the team enough, as well my family and everyone who has enabled me to do these last two rounds. This opportunity will give me a little bit of a foundation and a base before I start my prep for next year. I am super excited. I don’t have any real goals as I haven’t been in anything higher than a Formula 3 car before. Free Practice will be my first time in something higher than Formula 3, so my expectations are very minimal. My goal is to get as much track time as possible and to constantly be learning. I am really excited, it is awesome to be heading to the circuits in Jeddah and Yas Marina, I can’t wait.”

    My Opinion-

    Mixed feelings on this, but only because I liked seeing Verschoor race! Obviously gutting for him but it is all about money in F2 and sometimes it just isn’t possible to carry on, but i’ll be keeping an eye on what to see he does in his future!

    Now onto Jack, this is exciting a lot of F3 drivers this weekend in F2 which makes it exciting and gives them a step up for next year if they manage to get a seat. I definitely think a few teams will be watching Jack especially more so after his year in F3.