Jack Doohan is on the verge of a take care of the Alpine Method 1 staff that may see him race alongside Pierre Gasly subsequent yr, Motorsport.com has realized.
Within the wake of Carlos Sainz’s determination to show down a suggestion from Alpine and as an alternative be part of Williams, the French producer staff has been evaluating its remaining choices for subsequent yr.
Sources have indicated that it has elected to advertise reserve driver Doohan, who’s the son of five-time 500cc bike world champion Mick.
Though it’s understood {that a} last contract has not been signed but, it’s prompt that the formalities will likely be accomplished imminently and an announcement might even come earlier than F1 shuts down for the summer time break.
Doohan has been a contender for a 2025 Alpine seat for some time, however has confronted an unsure few weeks with new F1 staff advisor Flavio Briatore having made a pitch for Sainz.
Had the Spanish driver accepted, then the door would have been closed for Doohan, who appeared to don’t have any different choices to make the step as much as F1.
However Sainz’s determination to go elsewhere, on prime of ongoing promise that Doohan has proven driving F1 equipment, has left the staff assured the Australian is the correct man to get a race seat.
Jack Doohan, Alpine F1 Group
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
Doohan’s possibilities have additionally not been harm by the arrival of recent staff principal Oliver Oakes, who he has raced for up to now at Hitech.
Promotion to an F1 seat will justify the choice that Doohan made to hitch the Alpine younger driver programme in 2022, having been a part of Pink Bull’s junior staff from 2017 to 2021.
Doohan felt that Alpine might provide him extra testing alternatives, which started initially with the staff’s previous-specification automobiles, however included a run of present F1 venues similar to Losail, Monza, Hungaroring, Zandvoort, Paul Ricard and Spa.
He has additionally competed in six FP1 classes for the Alpine staff in Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Canada and Silverstone.
Doohan has been testing an A524 automobile at Spa-Francorchamps this week for a Pirelli tyre take a look at, changing the unavailable Esteban Ocon.
Ought to Doohan’s promotion get confirmed, it might possible imply there will likely be three rookies on the F1 grid subsequent yr. Haas has already confirmed that it has signed Oliver Bearman, whereas Mercedes is anticipated to promoted Andrea Kimi Antonelli to turn out to be George Russell’s team-mate.