Doohan ‘more ready than ever’ to answer Alpine’s F1 call

Alpine F1 reserve driver Jack Doohan feels he is “more ready than ever” to step into a race seat with the French team in 2025.

Esteban Ocon's confirmed departure from Alpine at the end of the season creates a vacancy, while Pierre Gasly has yet to be confirmed by the team, although all signs point to the one-time Grand Prix winner remaining with the Enstone squad.

Doohan has slowly been building his case for a promotion, taking part in private tests with older-spec Alpine machinery while conducting sim work at Enstone and embedding with the team on race weekends.

In Montreal recently, he also took part in his first free practice session of the season, although the opportunity offered only limited laps in the rainy conditions.

But these combined efforts have has boosted the 21-year-old’s confidence and further sharpened his determination to join the F1 grid.

• Read also: Alpine seeking professionalism not chemistry between drivers

“It’s obviously a great opportunity, it’s my dream to be in Formula 1 and I want to be on the grid next year,” Doohan told SpeedCity Broadcasting.

“If the opportunity presents itself here then that would be amazing. I’ve been building and growing with this team now for the last three years, so it would be a great transition.

“I went testing a lot in the 2021 machinery and also 2022, so I feel more ready than ever, I felt extremely comfortably coming into as well, so it’ll be a natural transition. But I’ll keep my head down, I’m here as reserve driver.”

Doohan suggested that he isn’t obsessing over his prospective F1 plans but rather keeping his head down and focusing on his duties and development, day-by-day and session-by session.
“I’m taking it day-by-day and if everything aligns then great,” he said.

“But I’ll just keep working and make sure that I maximize my job on track when I get the opportunity – hopefully more laps than ! – and off the track whether that’s in the sim or with the .

“Really we’re not even looking too far into the future. There’s so much to be decided and so much happening as we all know, so we’re really taking it, honestly, day-by-day, and session-by-session.

“I think with things happening sooner rather than later that will all fall into place in due course.”

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