After impressive junior category performances, Jack Doohan has quite a lot of pressure on his shoulders as he prepares for his first full F1 season with Alpine in 2025.
Formula 1 is cutthroat and unforgiving, something spectators have endured time and time again, which adds a major layer of excitement and tight apprehension for the season ahead.
The 21-year-old Australian begins his own legacy in motorsport, becoming the 19th Australian Formula 1 driver to represent the country.
As the son of a 5-time MotoGP World Champion, there rests an impeccable sense of expectation on performance.
Junior series pedigree
Doohan’s résumé is quite impressive, with two vice championship places in Formula 3 during 2021 and in Formula 2 during 2022.
His previous experience in the F4 British Championship and F3 Asian Championship created compelling noise surrounding his talent in the cockpit, doubts never quite surrounding the young Australian.
The former F2 and F3 race winner is coming into the Formula 1 paddock along with five other rookies, each earning their place within a team on the grid.
With all eyes on each of these young men, expectations at an all-time high, an understanding of the high stakes that could be for or against each of them will be riding heavily in their mind.
The Gold Coast, Queensland resident has become the first Alpine junior driver to be promoted to a full-time F1 seat, with experience in testing for the team as a reserve driver over the last two years.
Pierre Gasly will be Doohan’s teammate, offering an abundance of learning opportunities, knowledge, and mentorship that will aid the rookie in his first full Formula 1 season.
BWT Alpine had a rough 2024, seeing improvements towards the end of the season with an exciting three place improvement in the constructor’s championship, taking them from ninth to sixth after the double podium in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
This improvement explicitly invites more opportunity for Jack Doohan stepping onboard full-time in 2025, setting expectations skyrocketing and achievements an endless possibility within reach.
Facing enormous pressure
However, Flavio Briatore, adviser for Alpine F1, has not been shy in creating headlines of doubt regarding the Australian and his security within the team over the course of the 2025 season.
“We’ll start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee that. After that, we’ll see as the season progresses,” said Briatore.
This raises alarm bells for the former feeder category race winner, with speculations rising on replacements before the season has even begun.
“If there’s a driver who isn’t making progress, who isn’t bringing me results, I change him. You can’t be emotional in F1,” Briatore continued in an interview with Le Parisen.
If it happened, Franco Colapinto is the most likely replacement due to his relaxed attitude in 2024 and lack of fear to push the car, no matter the consequences.
It’s a boiling pot of tensions ahead of the 2025 F1 season start at Albert Park in March, something that is sure to impact Jack Doohan.
With the previous performance in feeder series and his karting days, there is no doubt that it will be a tough debut, but that young Doohan will have the right tools to navigate the whirlwind of speculation and excruciating scrutiny that the world of Formula 1 tends to share with its athletes.
