Jack Doohan has officially been announced by Alpine as a full-time F1 driver for 2025, being promoted from reserve driver. The Australian joined the Alpine Academy in 2022 and has been tasked with simulator and other testing duties as Alpine looked to recover from a poor start to the '24 season. He has taken part in all six of Alpine's mandatory FP1 young driver sessions, including in Canada and Great Britain earlier this year, having not returned to Formula 2 following a third-place finish in the 2023 championship. He could become the third Australian on the grid after Oscar Piastri, and provided he can retain his seat, Daniel Ricciardo. The son of MotoGP legend Mick, Doohan will be replacing Esteban Ocon who is leaving the team after five seasons for Haas and will be paired with new team leader Pierre Gasly as the team undergoes a period of great change. Oliver Oakes has recently been named as team principal following Bruno Famin's decision to step back to oversee the power unit operation at Viry, with Renault also set to end its in-house power unit production and revert Alpine to customer status. A plan has been mapped out which would culminate in the team becoming a customer from 2026 - the year of the new F1 technical regulations, impacting both chassis and engine for the first time.
Alpine react
Detailing the decision to promote Doohan into the race seat, the first member of the Alpine Academy to do so for the team, new team principal Oakes labelled it as "exceptionally pleasing." "We are very excited to promote Jack into the race seat from next season and, in doing so, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skill and talent in Formula 1," said Oakes. "Jack will become the first driver to graduate from the Alpine Academy into a race driver position with the team, so that is exceptionally pleasing for the team and its young driver pathway. "Personally, I have worked with Jack back in 2019 and I am fully aware of his raw talent and potential. He is a very hard worker behind the scenes and his commitment is hugely valued by the entire team. "Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good combination between youthful energy, experience, and pure speed. "We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre in order to keep developing the car and bring the team up the grid."
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