Jack Doohan reveals receiving violent death threats during F1 nightmare

Jack Doohan has revealed he received graphic death threats during his brief and turbulent stint in an Alpine race seat, with the Australian needing armed security for last season's Miami Grand Prix.

In shocking revelations from the upcoming eighth season of Netflix's F1 docu-series Drive to Survive, Doohan disclosed that he was subjected to a campaign of violent threats in the lead-up to the round in Florida, his seventh and final grand prix for Alpine before being replaced by Franco Colapinto.

"I got serious death threats for this [Miami] Grand Prix, saying they're going to kill me here if I'm not out of the car," Doohan said in the series, which releases on February 27.

The 23-year-old detailed the disturbing content of the messages, which escalated beyond typical online abuse.

"I had six or seven emails saying if I am still in the car by Miami, all my limbs will be cut off," he revealed.

The situation became so severe that Doohan required a police escort and armed protection while attending the Miami race weekend with his girlfriend and trainer.

"Wednesday, I was there with my fucking girlfriend and my trainer, and I've got three fucking armed men around me, I had to call my police escort to come and get it under control," he recalled.

A dream turned sour

Having deputised for Esteban Ocon at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2024, Doohan's position at Team Enstone was already precarious by the time the new year rolled around.

The winter signing of Colapinto added even more pressure on his shoulders, with Flavio Briatore less than enamoured with the Australian driver being behind the wheel.

And when Doohan's began, it quickly unravelled. He failed to score a single point across the opening six rounds, crashing at his home Australian Grand Prix in treacherous conditions and suffering another incident at Suzuka after attempting to take the first corner flat-out with DRS activated.

He out-qualified Gasly just twice in eight qualifying sessions and was often more than six-tenths off his team-mate's pace.

Alpine replaced him with Colapinto ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, demoting Doohan to reserve duties before the team and driver mutually agreed to part ways in January of this year.

The psychological toll of the situation was evident in Doohan's candid assessment of his time with Alpine.

"I wasn't able to enjoy being a Formula 1 driver, something I dreamt of for so long. So yeah, it's pretty shit," he said.

Doohan has since joined Haas as a reserve driver for 2026, backing up Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, as he attempts to rebuild his career following his difficult spell at Alpine.