JACK DOOHAN’S JOURNEY TO F1
Hailing from Queensland’s Gold Coast, Jack Doohan grew up surrounded by motorsport. With his father Mick, a legendary five-time 500cc motorcycle champion, young Jack shared that same passion for speed. But he opted to begin his racing career on four wheels, instead of two, and was soon challenging for top honours in karting. By the age of 13, Jack had clinched his first two titles, winning the KA2 and KA junior categories in Australia.
Success took him to Europe for 2017 where he finished third in the CIK-FIA European Karting Championship, winning a round in Sweden. The following season was Jack’s first in single-seaters and he tackled a number of rounds across three different Formula 4 championships. His best results were in the UK, where he took three wins and finished fifth overall — as well as ending up top rookie.
In 2019 his talent was identified by future Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes, as Jack raced in Formula 3 for Oakes’ Hitech junior squad. It was the beginning of a successful partnership. The Australian took five wins and finished runner-up in Asian F3 for Hitech before graduating to the FIA Formula 3 Championship for 2020.
In Jack’s second full season of F3, he took four victories with Trident — including two at Spa — to finish second overall in the series. His stellar performances led to him being signed up to the Alpine Academy young driver programme. With guidance from Enstone, Jack made the step-up to Formula 2 with Virtuosi. It was a strong rookie season for the Gold Coaster, as he scored three wins — at Silverstone, Hungary and Spa — to finish sixth in the points standings.
His impressive debut in F2 led to his first-ever outing in a Formula 1 car. Jack completed 13 laps of the Mexico City circuit during Free Practice 1 and acquitted himself well, despite the challenge of learning a new circuit. At season’s end, he also racked up nearly 600km in the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test.
Last year he was promoted to Reserve Driver for Alpine while dovetailing a second season in Formula 2. He rounded off the campaign in style, winning in Abu Dhabi — his third victory of the year — to finish third overall. Plus there was another FP1 outing in Mexico City, where Jack completed 28 trouble-free laps.
After graduating from the Alpine Academy, Jack was appointed full-time Reserve Driver this season. And the 21-year-old has already made two more appearances behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2024, getting the chance to complete a handful of laps in the wet/dry Friday morning session in Montréal — and again at Silverstone.
There was also an emotional opportunity to share the race track with his father Mick, as the pair enjoyed a demonstration run together at Albert Park. Jack piloted a old Benetton B200, while his father rode a MotoGP Honda RCV213. It was the first time they had been given a chance to share their passion on track together. Now a full season of Formula 1 beckons…
Alpine F1
