It took Jack Doohan 13 years to earn a seat in Formula 1, and 150 days to have it taken away.<\/p>\n
The latter process has reached an inevitable conclusion with the Australian departing the Alpine Formula 1 \u200dteam to \u201cpursue other career opportunities\u201d.<\/p>\n
Doohan, whose father is five-time motorcycle GP champion Mick Doohan, and who began racing karts at 12, was chosen to be a driver for Alpine at the start of the 2025 season. He had made his debut the previous year after being at the team in the academy, as a test driver, then reserve.<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n However, after six races, two of which he failed to finish, Alpine dropped Doohan, replacing him with Franco Colapinto.<\/p>\n Doohan\u2019s best finish was 13th at the Chinese Grand Prix \u200din March. He crashed on the first lap in the rain-hit season-opening Australian GP at Melbourne and in Miami, his last GP for Alpine.<\/p>\n The Queenslander still was under contract but the team on Tuesday said it reached a \u201cmutual agreement\u201d to \u201cnot continue his driving \u200cservices with the team for the 2026 FIA Formula One world championship season and allow \u200dhim to pursue other career opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n Doohan is expected to be announced as a Super Formula driver after testing in Japan over the off-season.<\/p>\n He has also been linked to F1 team Haas, which has a partnership with Toyota.<\/p>\n Alpine finished last among the 10 teams in the F1 constructors\u2019 standings with the switch to Colapinto not a clear success. The Argentine did not crash in the 17 grand prix he started but nor did he gain a point with his best finish being 11th.<\/p>\n However, he did out-perform teammate Pierre Gasly, who scored all Alpine\u2019s 22 points, six times.<\/p>\n Doohan failed to beat the Frenchman and lapped slower by approximately 0.17 to 0.50 seconds in the three races where neither driver retired.<\/p>\n On his demotion Alpine said Doohan was \u201cstill an integral part of the team\u201d and he continued to work with them as a test driver and a reserve.<\/p>\n Doohan said at the time: \u201cI am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula One driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream. Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one to take because, as a professional driver, I want to be racing.\u201d<\/p>\n The desire to be racing, rather than testing, may well be behind his departure. At 22 Doohan is young enough to have plenty of other opportunities in motor racing, though maybe not immediately in F1.<\/p>\n – with 7NEWS<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tom Silvagni launches appeal against rape conviction<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n