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Jack Doohan will complete Alpine’s 2025 driver line-up, becoming the second rookie to join next year’s Formula One grid.
Alpine made the announcement on Friday ahead of the Dutch GP, and Doohan will be filling the space left by Esteban Ocon, who will join Haas next season.
Doohan has been part of Alpine since 2022, steadily increasing his involvement. It started as part of the Driver Development Programme when he was a rookie in Formula Two, and in 2023, he became the team’s reserve driver. This season, the role included a heavier testing program in the 2022 car.
“I am so happy to secure promotion into a full-time race seat in 2025,” Doohan said. “I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team’s senior management. There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up.”
It’s exceptionally satisfying to be the first graduate of the Alpine Academy to be in a race seat with the team and I’m extremely thankful to those who supported me along the way to make this a reality. It’s an exciting moment, a proud day for my family, and I look forward to taking it all in and pushing hard behind the scenes.”
The choice to join Alpine’s program has paid off, a move that surprised many as Doohan was part of Red Bull’s junior team from 2017-2021. Since joining, he’s participated in numerous tests in previous F1 machinery at current F1 venues and driven in multiple practice sessions, the latest being at Silverstone this year.
Doohan’s goal was to treat testing sessions like miniature race weekends. Earlier this year, he drove a 66-lap, double-stop race with three different tire compounds in Barcelona. In February, Doohan spoke to The Athletic about those testing sessions.
“Really just trying to make sure that if I need to jump in the car, and when I do, then I’m more ready than ever,” Doohan said. “And then I can make sure that we do the best and, especially for when I do become a full-time driver very soon, that I’ll be making the most of it.”
Simulator work is another part of Doohan’s role and directly impacts on-track performance. Following the Monaco GP weekend, Alpine praised Doohan as the weekend’s “unsung hero” in an article on its website, discussing how his sim work helped shape the outcome. Pierre Gasly scored one point that weekend, the team’s second point of the year. Doohan estimated that he was on the simulator for nearly nine hours.
This driver market move comes just weeks after Carlos Sainz announced he’d join Williams in 2025, which impacted Alpine, one of the teams that expressed interest in bringing the Spaniard to its project. And in recent weeks, significant changes have occurred within the camp.
Alpine is planning to end its factory engine program in 2026, and team principal Bruno Famin is stepping away from his role at the end of August and focusing on his duties as the VP of motorsports. Oliver Oakes, a former driver who founded the Hitech Grand Prix program, will be the new team boss. It’s worth noting that Doohan previously raced for the Hitech Grand Prix.
“I have worked with Jack back in 2019 and I am fully aware of his raw talent and potential,” team principal, Oliver Oakes, said. “He is a very hard worker behind the scenes and his commitment is hugely valued by the entire team.
“Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good combination between youthful energy, experience, and pure speed. We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre in order to keep developing the car and bring the team up the grid.”
(Top photo: Sipa USA)
