Jack Doohan has revealed he faced graphic death threats during a turbulent tenure at Alpine, at one point requiring an armed security detail to navigate the Miami Grand Prix.
Doohan held his seat for a volatile six-race stint last season before being dumped from the line up, a period defined by constant speculation and internal team turmoil.
In a shocking revelation from the upcoming season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the now 23-year-old discussed the campaign of violent threats he faced leading up to the Florida round — his final race for the team before being replaced by Argentine driver Franco Colapinto.
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Jack Doohan makes his way through the Shanghai pit lane ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Bryn Lennon/Formula 1 via Getty Images
“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 an interview for the documentary series.
“I had six or seven emails saying if I am still in the car by Miami, all my limbs will be cut off.”
Alpine supremo Flavio Briatore’s move to lure Colapinto from Williams put Doohan under immediate pressure.
Doohan detailed the disturbing content of the messages, which spiralled far beyond typical online abuse.
The threats became so severe that the Australian required a police escort and armed protection while navigating the Miami race weekend alongside his girlfriend, Ebony Zippora Gold, and trainer, Sergi Bou Garcia.
“Wednesday, I was there with my f—ing girlfriend and my trainer, and I’ve got three f—ing armed men around me, I had to call my police escort to come and get it under control,” he said.
Jack Doohan walks in the Pitlane during sprint qualifying ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. Â Bryn Lennon/ Formula 1 via Getty Images
Doohan endured a shocking start to his Formula 1 career, failing to score a single championship point across seven attempts.
Despite showing glimpses of raw pace — even outqualifying teammate Pierre Gasly in Miami — a horror run of incidents marred his tenure.
Between a DNF at his home race and a high-speed crash in Japanese practice, things did not turn out as the son of motorsport legend Mick had hoped.
Alpine replaced Doohan with Colapinto ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, demoting him to reserve duties before both parties mutually agreed to part ways in January.
Doohan has since joined Haas as a reserve driver for this season, supporting Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon.
“I wasn’t able to enjoy being a Formula 1 driver, something I dreamt of for so long,” Doohan said of his time with Alpine.
“So yeah, it’s pretty shit.”