Jack Doohan’s Formula 1 tenure with Alpine was rather short-lived, as he made his first start in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and his last in the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, which was only his seventh race. The Australian driver was then swiftly replaced by Franco Colapinto.
The replacement seemed inevitable, as rumors began swirling even before the 2025 season began. There was not much interest around the paddock in signing Doohan, even after he was dropped, and at just 23 years old, he became another victim of the cut-throat environment of Formula 1.
Doohan was set to enter Super Formula and participated in pre-season testing with Kondo Racing. However, it turned out to be a shockingly poor showing, as he crashed three times at the same corner. Ultimately, he was not signed due to a disagreement on the team’s direction of development.
Jack Doohan lands undeserved position in F1
Doohan was recently announced as a reserve driver for Haas for the upcoming Formula 1 season. The signing is quite a surprise, given his struggles in Formula 1, combined with his recent poor showing in a Super Formula car. Not only is such a lifeline unexpected, but it's clearly the wrong move on the part of Haas.
There are plenty of talented up-and-coming drivers who are looking for an opportunity, and based on the 2025 season, Alex Dunne would have been the ideal candidate. The Irish driver’s partnership with McLaren concluded toward the end of the year, and landing this opportunity would have put him in a great position to advance his career.
Other top Formula 2 drivers from the 2025 season have proven to be very deserving of potential F1 opportunities as well. Jak Crawford and Luke Browning were both suitable targets, and Haas could have reached out to their respective teams for a loan agreement. In the end, it may have also been cheaper to pay one of those drivers instead of Doohan.
Nevertheless, signing Doohan for a reserve role simply appears to be a case of Haas settling for less. Given the other potential candidates for the role, it could very well backfire if Doohan has to actually step in for a Grand Prix at any point during the 2026 season.