Doohan at the wheel of the Alpine in FP1 in Mexico
Australian Jack Doohan will take part this Friday in the first free practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix in place of Esteban Ocon.
This year, teams are required to offer track time twice in official sessions to the rookie of their choice. For this Grand Prix, Alpine has decided to offer one of these sessions to the member of its Young Driver Academy, Australian Jack Doohan.
Since Oscar Piastri’s departure to McLaren, Doohan has been serving as the spearhead of the Alpine Academy and is being rewarded for his efforts.
“I am extremely grateful to Alpine for giving me the opportunity to drive during the free practice sessions in Mexico,” said the 19-year-old driver. “It is always a great honor to be entrusted with the wheel of a Formula 1 car, and to have the opportunity to drive during a Grand Prix weekend is very special. But in truth, the goal is to do this every week and this experience is one step closer to achieving that objective. […] I will work hard on the D day, do everything the team asks of me, and at the same time, enjoy the moment because I know it is a unique opportunity.”
FP1 in Mexico… and in Abu Dhabi!
The boss of the French team, Otmar Szafnauer, also praised the qualities of his young protégé and is satisfied with this new rule offering more opportunities to young drivers than before.
“We have all been impressed by Jack’s progress in many areas this season and he deserves this opportunity as we continue to develop his strong potential. It is important to give our young drivers the chance to test Formula 1 cars and the program designed by the academy has proven to be effective in this regard. We expect Jack to work hard during the session and make the most of the experience of being part of a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend,” Szafnauer said.
The son of motorcycle champion Mick Doohan will even participate in the first practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of the season, this time behind the wheel of Fernando Alonso’s single-seater.
As a reminder, Doohan is currently 4th in the F2 championship in his first season with a total of 2 wins and 126 points. He can still mathematically fight for the position of vice-world champion, notably against Théo Pourchaire.
The Mexican Grand Prix takes place this weekend at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. All the schedules to know can be found on the TV program.
