The rookie Formula 2 driver is a clear contender for the vacant Alpine seat for the next 2023 season and will thus be Esteban Ocon’s partner after Fernando Alonso announced his signing for Aston Martin.
The French team’s general manager, Laurent Rossi , said the priority for the team was to get a driver to score points early on, rather than needing time to get used to the car.
However, he commented that Jack Doohan was on his radar, and that he “has a very good sense of timing, because he’s doing great right now.”
The Australian has achieved three victories in the run-up to Formula 1 so far this season, in the main race at Spa-Francorchamps and in the sprints at Silverstone and the Hungaroring, as well as three pole positions in Bahrain, Barcelona and Monza. The one from the Alpine academy is fourth in the F2 standings with one round remaining in Abu Dhabi, and would need to be at least fifth if he wants to get a superlicence .
In the past year he achieved 25 points for that mandatory requirement in Formula 1, since he finished second, and he only has 15 more units left to get the super license that would allow him to make the jump to the Enstone team.
During the penultimate round of the championship at Monza, Doohan said the discussions are “motivation to work hard” in the closing stages of his F2 campaign with Virtuosi, but acknowledged he was “under no pressure”.
“To be honest, I’m happy with it, because obviously there are talks and I want to do well,” he continued. “I know it’s there, so for me it’s a motivation to work hard, it’s not that I’m not doing it, but I know that I have to show my maturity, my head and that I can build up my courage.”
“If it’s not in the first position, being fourth with a car that’s only good for that, it’s not being under pressure, so I can just enjoy what I’m doing, and I love it,” explained the Australian driver. “So I can extract my potential and enjoy this moment.”
Doohan tested a Formula 1 car for the first time in Qatar last May, when he got on board an Alpine A521 from the 2021 season. He was also present on Thursday’s test day organized by the French team at the Hungaroring alongside Antonio Giovinazzi and Nyck de Vries , who are being evaluated for a possible seat with them.
Despite rumors about his future, the academy youth said he was “trying not to get too involved” in it, adding that “it’s a good time to act, but everyone is regardless of what’s going on.”
“There’s a lot going on, and I’m trying not to get too involved, to be honest I’m trying to focus on what I can control, and that’s my car, my team, and outside of that I don’t worry,” he said.
“I’m just going to try to get good results, good performances and show what we can do,” said the Australian. “At the end of the day and the end of the year, we’ll see what happens, but I love F2 now.”
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