Jack Doohan, the son of five-time 500 cc motorcycling world champion Mick, will drive for Alpine next season as the replacement for Haas-bound Esteban Ocon.
The Australian, who finished third in the F2 series in 2023, has been promoted from reserve team and will partner Frenchman Pierre Gasly for the 2025 season the French confirmed in the run-up to the Dutch Grand Prix this past weekend.
“First and foremost, this is a really proud moment for me and my family. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me with this team, and it’s super cool to finally be able to say I am going to be an F1 driver,” Doohan wrote on his website.
“I first joined this team in 2022 as a member of the Alpine Academy and they have guided me through some highs and lows in motorsport. Now, they have given me the ultimate chance to fulfil my childhood dream. It honestly sounds so cool to be able to say those words.
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“It’s an exciting moment and I look forward to taking it all in and pushing hard for the rest of this season and getting set for this next big adventure”.
“Pierre and Jack give the team a balance of youth and experience in its driver line-up geared towards building a successful future,” said the team in a statement.
Gasly’s teammate Ocon, claimed both his and Alpine’s sole win so far at the rain-hit Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021.
Ocon, who made his F1 debut in 2016, announced he was splitting with Alpine in June, a week after a collision with Gasly in Monaco for which he was blamed.
Alpine have also had a change at the top, with Englishman Oliver Oakes taking over as team principal for the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.
Oakes replaced Frenchman Bruno Famin, who was initially placed in charge on a temporary basis following the departure of previous team boss Otmar Szafnauer and lasted a year.
Gasly had tried to lure Carlos Sainz to the team after the Spaniard’s departure from Ferrari was announced earlier this season. However, Sainz opted to join Williams instead.
Nevertheless Gasly speaking on Thursday before the appointment was officially announced, dished out praise for Doohan, who will be the second Australian driver on the grid alongside Oscar Piastri as the future of current RB VCarb driver, Daniel Ricciardo, remains unknown.
“He’s a great kid. I think he’s fast from watching what he’s been doing in Formula 2 the previous years,” Gasly told reporters.
“He knows the team and yeah he’s a great guy so I think he’s a good option,” he added.
Additional information by Charl Bosch
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