Alpine has confirmed the departure of Jack Doohan after mutual agreement, to allow the Australian to compete outside F1.
Having come through the Alpine driver programme, Doohan waited a year for his chance which he finally earned in 2026. He got a one-off outing in 2024 when Esteban Ocon decided to leave the French team early. The Australian got an early F1 debut in Abu Dhabi GP then.
Despite speculation about his future, Doohan started the 2026 F1 season as Alpine racer alongside Pierre Gasly. But it started to become clear that the Australian only has handful of races to prove his credentials, which eventually happened after six races into the season.
Initially, it was touted as stint by stint, but it was soon clear that Franco Colapinto would see-through the whole season, while Doohan was relegated to simulator role to help the two race drivers. The Argentine eventually secured a deal for the 2026 F1 season as well.
It left Doohan out of drive. The Australian posted photos of reflection just before New Year, indicating a goodbye to the Alpine family. The French outfit eventually confirmed his departure on Tuesday on mutual agreement, to allow the Australian to compete elsewhere.
It is reported that Doohan is likely to race in Super Formula in Japan for Toyota-powered Kondo Racing. He tested with them in December and suffered multiple crashes in the same corner, but he was backed by his team then. He wants to dovetail his racing with a F1 test role outside of Alpine.
“BWT Alpine Formula One Team confirms it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to not continue his driving services with the team for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship season and allow him to pursue other career opportunities,” said Alpine in a statement.
“Jack became the first member of the Alpine Academy to graduate into a race seat with the team when he made his Grand Prix debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The team would like to thank Jack for his commitment and professionalism to the team for the past four years, both on and off track, and wishes him all the best for the future.”
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