Who is Jack Doohan? Australia's young driver making his F1 debut in Abu Dhabi

Alpine have confirmed that Jack Doohan will replace Esteban Ocon for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he will make his Formula 1 debut.

The Australian will step up from reserve driver to a full-time seat from 2025 onwards, whilst Ocon will move to rival team Haas.

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Doohan will compete for Alpine in all sessions across the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, which means Ocon will miss his final race with the team as he prepares to join Haas for the post-season test.

Alpine have been in a state of flux, after the exit of team principal Bruno Famin and the appointment of Oliver Oakes as his successor. As the dust settles on this managerial upheaval, Alpine have now finalised their driver roster for next season.

After missing out on Carlos Sainz, who decided to join Williams next season, Alpine have opted to promote from within, handing Doohan his big break.

The young Australian will team up with Pierre Gasly, who recently signed a contract extension with the team.

Jack Doohan - Early life and career

The Doohan family name is synonymous with motorsport. Son of five-time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, Jack has forged his own path in the world of single-seater racing.

His journey began in karting, where he quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with. He was crowned KA Junior champion of the Australian Kart Championships in 2015 and won the KA2 classification in 2016, but these were only the first steps on a ladder that would eventually lead to F1.

A subsequent move to Europe proved fruitful, with a third-place finish in the CIK-FIA European Championship in 2017 and a strong performance in British Formula 4 in 2018 where he finished as first-placed rookie and fifth overall.

Asia then became the next proving ground for the young Australian where he secured five race wins, three podium finishes and a second place in the F3 Asian Championship in 2019 for Hitech Grand Prix, before returning to Europe with Double R Racing and securing two podiums and 11th place overall in the Euroformula Open Championship.

Doohan returned to the F3 Asian Championship in 2020, this time with Pinnacle Motorsport, and once again finished in the runner-up spot after missing out on the title due to technical failures.

The FIA Formula 3 Championship followed, presenting a more challenging environment in which he struggled to secure points for HWA Racelab during the campaign.

However, in 2021, Doohan stepped up to Trident for his second F3 season and delivered a championship-contending performance. His four race victories and seven podium finishes secured him second place overall while propelling Trident to the teams' title.

This impressive performance earned him a Formula 2 opportunity with MP Motorsport in the final two rounds of the 2021 season, where he achieved a top-five finish and second in qualifying.

Building on his F3 success, Doohan secured a full-time F2 seat with Virtuosi Racing in 2022, adding three more wins to his tally. That same year, he transitioned from the Red Bull Junior Team, where he had been since 2017, to the Alpine Academy, before stepping up as the French outfit's reserve in 2023.

Balancing his F1 duties with a full F2 campaign for Invicta Virtuosi Racing, Doohan secured a strong third place overall, thanks to his two race wins and five podium finishes.

Having fully immersed himself in the Alpine team in 2024, Doohan is now poised to take the next step in his career - a full-time F1 seat in 2025, where he will become the third Australian on the grid joining RB's Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

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