On a muggy Friday at Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, I emerged from Alpine’s hospitality space after lunch with reserve driver Jack Doohan and only one thought ran through my mind after the meeting.
Doohan was destined to become a full-time driver on the F1 grid sooner or later.
The Sooners have arrived.
Alpine ended weeks of speculation this morning ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix by announcing that Doohan will team up with Pierre Gasly next season, with the Australian driver signing a “multi-year” contract with the team.
The team began teasing the announcement early on Friday morning, with a short video of Gasly sneaking into an office in Alpine’s hospitality space and asking an Amazon device who his teammate would be next year. Apple News you You can see the post here.):
The official announcement came shortly thereafter.
Oliver Oakes, who will make his debut as new team principal this week, praised Doohan’s dedication to the team. “We are very excited to promote Jack to a race seat from next season, thereby giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills and talent in Formula 1. Jack will be the first driver to graduate from the Alpine Academy to take up a race driver position with the team, which is very exciting for the team and for the development of young drivers,” Oakes said. “Personally, I worked with Jack in 2019 and know very well his quality and potential. He is an extremely hard worker behind the scenes and his dedication is highly valued by the whole team. Together with Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good mix of youth, experience and pure speed. I look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre to continue developing the car and take the team to the top of the grid.”
Doohan called the promotion an “exciting moment.”
“I am incredibly happy to be promoted to a full-time race seat with the BWT Alpine F1 Team in 2025 and I am extremely grateful for the trust and belief shown by the team management. There is a lot of work to do to prepare and adapt but in the meantime I will do my best to absorb as much information and knowledge as possible in preparation for the step up,” said Doohan. “I am extremely happy to be the first Alpine Academy graduate to take up a race seat with the team and I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported me to make this happen. It’s a very exciting moment and a proud day for my family. I’m looking forward to soaking it all up and working hard behind the scenes.”
Doohan last raced full-time in the 2023 season, when he finished third in the championship while racing for Invicta, winning three of the final five races. Instead of returning to the F2 grid this season, Doohan has decided to focus his efforts on his duties as Alpine’s reserve driver in the hope of earning a grid spot.
When we spoke in Miami, Doohan explained his duties to me.
“Being ready to jump in the car at any time,” Doohan said when asked what his responsibilities would be. “That comes with attending media briefings, engineering briefings, pre-session meetings, post-session meetings, marketing activities, marketing meetings, [communications teams and social media teams]”I’m just trying to make the most of myself and my time here and be as prepared as I can.”
And now Alpine believes it’s ready.
