To Alpine, Jack Doohan must play for the title in 2023

Next year, Jack Doohan must be at the forefront. The Australian driver will evolve again in Formula 2, but Otmar Szafnauer’s ambitions for him are clear: “ He will always be supported by Alpine, but his goal next year will be to win the championship. " No more no less.

In an interview with Formula 1, the team director ofAlpine spoke about the one who is about to celebrate his 20th birthday. “ He is really very good, he says. He is very professional for a young man, he works hard, he prepares very well. He also drives with instinct… He has real potential. » The driver is preparing to compete in his second full season in the antechamber of the premier category, his 2021 campaign being summed up in the last two races of the year. The 2022 financial year results in a 6th place, largely outperforming his teammate Marino Sato in the second seat of Virtuosi Racing: the Japanese is in 22nd position.

Jack Doohan and his blue-white-red future

Doohan integrated theAlpine Academy at the start of last season, leaving the junior team of Red Bull. He will find 6 of the winged Taurus foals on the grid for a 2023 F2 campaign which promises to be tough. But the son of the five-time champion of Moto GP Michael Doohan (from 1994 to 1998) preferred the French school which quickly gave him the opportunity to take part in free practice 1 on the circuits of Mexico and Abu Dhabi. An experience that the pilot describes as “ incredible ": " I just want to thank Alpine as well as the women and men who gave me this opportunity. This is something that I will obviously keep in mind. »

Thanks to a change in regulations in Formula 1, forcing the teams to run young drivers for at least 2 test sessions, he was able to take the wheel of the car byEsteban Ocon. " From the moment I was in the car there was a bit of emotion of course, he says. But I contained myself. I knew for a long time that this was going to happen, I had a lot of time to prepare. So I wasn't surprised, and I was very happy before getting into the car and once inside. » He was also present during the post-season tests carried out by the teams on the Yas Marina.

But from there to recovering the vacant seat of 3rd driver, nothing has been made official: “ I haven't thought about it yet, says Otmar Szafnauer. He will obviously have a role in the team. But regarding this role, we have not decided anything. »

While he seems the most likely option at the moment, Frenchman Victor Martins can come in and play spoilsport and fill the void left by Oscar piastri alongside his two compatriots: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. 

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