Under pressure Doohan pinpoints 'greatest thing' ahead of rookie season

Jack Doohan has pinpointed last season's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the "greatest thing" ahead of his rookie F1 season. 

The Australian driver made his competitive debut at the Yas Marina Circuit last season, with Esteban Ocon having left Alpine ahead of the opening round to test for Haas after the event.

As a result, Doohan already has a grand prix start to his name, unlike Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar. 

Having competed in Abu Dhabi, Doohan has an understanding of how a race weekend works in F1 from a driver's perspective rather than just as a reserve. 

The 22-year-old who is already under pressure following Alpine's signing of Franco Colapinto as its third driver, expects to feel calmer in the Australian Grand Prix because of his Abu Dhabi experience. 

Unlike some of the other rookies, Doohan enters the 2025 F1 season knowing what to expect from a race weekend and, crucially, how the tyres behave.

Discussing the importance of racing in Abu Dhabi last year, Doohan told media including RacingNews365: "It was a great weekend, mainly for me to get my head around actually driving throughout the weekend, being in the driver's seat.

"Obviously, I've seen how the weekends take place from a third-person point of view, let's say. 

“But actually being there, knowing my structure, knowing my Sunday race structure, and how much time I have between meetings, the drivers' parade, the time between the national anthem.

 "All little things that can add maybe one or two beats per minute to your heart rate, that is going to be a little bit less in Albert Park. So that's really the greatest thing for me. Obviously a race distance as well. 

"It was great to get the feel of actually how the current tyres are, obviously going to move to new tyres this year, I was able to drive those in post-season testing. So I'm grateful for that time and that opportunity.”