Jack Doohan shares his excitement ahead of his surprise early debut with Alpine. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Doohan breaks down his preparation ahead of his first Grand Prix.
Following Monday’s announcement that Jack Doohan would take the place of outgoing Esteban Ocon for this weekend’s Grand Prix, the young Aussie Driver spoke to the media. Doohan shared his excitement following his finding out on Sunday.
Speaking on Thursday, Doohan explained that Formula 1 will be all new territory. Having previously only driven in FP2 sessions, he noted all the new experiences he will enjoy this weekend. Despite this, Doohan believes that he is fully prepared to make his debut.
“Yeah, same time [as everyone else] to be honest,” Doohan said when asked when he found out about Alpine’s decision. “It’s Sunday night. To be honest, I would have been doing FP1 this weekend. So now FP2, FP3 is new territory for me and following.
“I’m actually quite happy. If there was any nerves for FP1 there’s less that I’m doing the full race weekend. Because I now know I have more time to build into it and just to take it step by step.
“So I’ve really enjoyed this week, mentally as well, leading up to it. So I’m excited.”
Doohan went on to comment on the pressure related to his debut race. He agreed that racing this weekend helped to prevent some of the nerves he would have felt ahead of his planned debut next season. The shorter buildup between the announcement and his first race is a key factor he believes.
“Although I’ve known I’m going to be a race driver since August,” Doohan explained.
“Then finish the season, post-season test. Then you still have a period before my first Grand Prix whereas [in this situation] I’ve had three or four days to obviously know that I’ll be making my debut this weekend.
“It’s a great opportunity just to run through the motions and go over everything. To simply put it, like a driver parade that I’ve never done. Laps to the grid that I’ve never done from junior category. So these little things that are new territory now, I just get to familiarise myself [with] before next year.”
He was also asked the Alpine driver if his testing schedule as the team’s reserve driver had prepared him. While he agreed that he does feel prepared, Doohan also noted the difference between testing and competitive sessions.
“I’ve been doing quite a lot of testing,” he said. “Whether that’s a race simulation or a quali simulation. But there is a different aspect of being on a race weekend while testing. You don’t have 19 other cars on track in qualifying. There’s no legal sporting regulations really to follow.
“There’s quite a few things that I’ve been touching up on this week on the sporting regulation side, making sure that I’m making the most and not putting myself in any uncomfortable situations. Coming back to the simple stuff like a delayed start, which we saw cause confusion in Brazil. Simple things that I may think that I know, but just going back over them.
“But yeah, other than that, the team have prepared me quite well. I’m feeling comfortable and I’m feeling ready for the weekend ahead.”
They then also quizzed him on his father, motorbike champion Mick Doohan’s reaction to the news. It will be an exciting reunion for the pair who have not seen each other since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 21-year-old said.
Although with the news of his debut coming sooner than expected, a journalist present suggested his father may have had to rush to secure transport. Jack, however, explained that his father had intended to attend the Grand Prix regardless.
“He was actually going to be coming for my FP1,” he explained. “He was going to be flying in this morning. He’s just more happy that he wasn’t just watching me once on track and getting to watch me all weekend.
“But no, we sat this morning and had breakfast together, which was super nice because I hadn’t seen him since around Baku time. And yeah, he’s really excited for me as well. So it’s a super special moment.”
