It was a heartbreaking F1 Australian GP for Jack Doohan as the home hero crashed out big time on the opening lap between turns 5 and 6 in his Alpine.
In the middle of the pack, the 22-year-old was getting out on power when he lost the car and had a sizeable shunt.
Jack Doohan on his F1 Australian GP crash
“Yeah, for sure I was when it happened but in this sport things happen very quickly as we’ve just seen and the next round is already almost upon us. So it was an unfortunate way but a lesson is learned, I’ve digested it.
“There’s a lot of positives that we have to take away from this weekend and for me they outweigh this negative and I’m looking forward to bouncing back for next weekend.
“I think it’s my first shunt in one of these Formula 1 cars. I’m sure it won’t be the last.
“It’s a brutal way to have it, but it happens, we’re humans. I didn’t want it to happen, but it has, so I’ve accepted it.
“I’m not really looking for excuses out there for other drivers or anything like that.
“I made this mistake and I accept it and I look forward to just bouncing back.”
A mistake to learn from says Jack Doohan
Conditions throughout Sunday were terrible in Melbourne, with significant rainfall levels meaning the F2 feature race got cancelled.
On the reconnaissance laps to the grid, the Aussie explained how he felt good driving the car, albeit he was on the full wets.
After Isack Hadjar crashed on the first formation lap, the signs were there as to how treacherous it was.
Jack Doohan explained his F1 Australian GP crash was caused by the upshift to fourth gear, and a torque spike could have played a part as well. Although he was extremely cautious on power through turn 5, the car got away from him and he ended up in the hedge.
“Yeah, to be honest, the laps to the grid were actually quite okay. I felt quite comfortable and you know even overlaying to see how I was shaping up. It seemed quite okay.
“Obviously they were on the extreme [tyre] and not on the inter. And yeah, it seemed I lost it on the third to fourth gear upshift. Aa soon as I went into fourth I lost the car so some things that I’m gonna need to understand because for me that wasn’t out of the normal.
“But a constant learning process, unfortunately this one has big consequences. But I’ve definitely learnt and I’m gonna ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
“I think maybe a combination of the white line [caused it], but it seems that we had a spike in rpm when I’ve upshifted to fourth. So we’re just double checking to make sure that everything’s behaving itself.
“And maybe a little bit less right foot, a little bit more left and it won’t happen again.”
Why Jack Doohan is feeling upbeat after his F1 Australian GP weekend
A short-lived race should not completely ignore the strong pace the Alpine driver had on home soil.
He was extremely competitive against Pierre Gasly through practice and into qualifying. In fact, Doohan was 0.013s faster in Q1. Lewis Hamilton’s spin in Q2 meant what should have been his best lap was ruined.
Doohan is taking confidence from that into Shanghai.
“Yeah, to be honest, the pace was strong.
“We were split on aero for most of the weekend and we still were quite okay in P1 to P3, shaping up next to Pierre.
“Went to the high downforce yesterday afternoon which felt much more comfortable on, and to be honest we were quite strong. I think yesterday afternoon if we could have completed that Q2 lap we would have been comfortably in Q3 on a high 15, and that already would have put us in a good place.
“I think P8, P7 was on the cards yesterday afternoon, if buts and maybes, but it’s good confidence to know going in for the rest of the season.”
