Son of Aussie motorsport legend Mick Doohan is a contender to get a Formula One drive with Alpine
Jack Doohan, the son of Aussie motorbike legend Mick, has moved a step closer to a Formula One seat following a stunning win in Formula 2 at the weekend.
The 19-year-old took the chequered flag in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, finishing ahead of championship leader Felipe Drugovich and New Zealand’s Liam Lawson.
Doohan qualified fourth on Friday and made up two positions on the opening lap, before his team tried to undercut Drugovich by pitting him early.
Jack Doohan won the Formula 2 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday
The gamble paid off as the Brazilian emerged from his pit-stop behind Doohan, who then successfully fended him off to clinch his third win of the season and the first in a feature race.
‘Felipe obviously had really good pace and we were able to stay close though, not really drop away,’ the young Australian, who moved up to fourth in the world championship, said after the race.
‘We were both extending the stint and it seemed like you know, our pace was quite similar. They were saying that the overcut could be possibly stronger, but I decided to do the opposite and box.
‘I knew I gathered good tyre temperature on the way to the grid, I pushed hard – I wasn’t expecting there to be so much overcut but it was.’
The victory in Belgium was the young Australian’s third win of his rookie Formula 2 season
Doohan shared a warm embrace with his father Mick (left) after his win in Belgium
An Aussie motorbike legend, Mick Doohan won five consecutive titles 500cc World Championships between 1994 and 1998
Doohan had previously finished top of the podium when he won the sprint races at the British Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix last month. He finished second in the sprint race in Spa on Saturday.
The sprint races are 50km shorter than the feature races and the top 10 drivers have their positions reversed from Friday’s qualifying session.
Doohan celebrated in typical Aussie fashion with a shoey on the podium and shared a warm embrace with his father, who won five consecutive titles 500cc World Championships between 1994 and 1998.
Like his compatriot Oscar Piastri – who won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 world titles in the past two seasons – Doohan is part of the Alpine Junior Academy.
Doohan’s fellow Australian Oscar Piastri remains embroiled in a well-publicised contract dispute with Alpine ahead of next season
Piastri is now Alpine reserve driver and has long been linked with a move to McLaren to replace Daniel Ricciardo, a move which could be complicated by the well-publicised contractual row between him and the French team.
Earlier this month, Alpine announced they would be promoting Piastri to fill Fernando Alonso’s seat from next season, after the Spaniard signed with Aston Martin to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel in 2023.
Piastri, however, insisted no agreement had been reached, leaving him and Alpine in an awkward situation.
And according to Sky Germany, Alpine could look at promoting Doohan into Formula One – initially as reserve driver should Piastri leave the team or replace Alonso – as early as next season.
