A heavy crash for Jack Doohan dominated headlines in FP2, with the Australian driver making a significant impact with the barriers out of turn 1.
Doohan miscalculated his DRS usage whilst completing his first laps of the weekend, perhaps trying to compensate for missing out on Friday Practice.
Despite being declared fit for the remainder of the weekend, the Australian reveals that he was in some discomfort.
Doohan: “I suffered a bit of soreness”
In many ways, it is a shame that Jack Doohan’s first F1 campaign is under such tricky circumstances.
Even before round one in Australia, reports have circulated about his future at Alpine.
Irrespective of team principal Oliver Oakes’ comments in recent weeks, there is no denying the pressure surrounding the 22-year-old.
It has been made very clear, both explicitly by Flavio Briatore and implicitly via contractual realities, that Colapinto could replace Doohan mid-season.
Franco Colapinto. Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, USA.
The decision to offer Colapinto a multi-year deal certainly indicates the team’s willingness to give him a full-time seat.
This is especially true given the hefty fee paid to Williams to sign the Colapinto before the conclusion of his contract.
Because of this, every mistake that Doohan commits is magnified – under the knowledge his position is constantly under evaluation.
His FP2 incident is no exception, although in this case the conversation surrounding this crash went beyond his F1 future.
A video circulated post-race of Doohan struggling to get out of his A525 – requiring the help of a mechanic and Haas’ Esteban Ocon.
Speaking to the media in Bahrain, the Australian admits he was in some discomfort:
“I was sore a little bit on Friday certainly – Saturday a bit worse, and Sunday a little bit worse again.
“So I would say there was pain from the start of the race, not necessarily towards the end.
“But that helps with the adrenaline a little bit, for sure.
“It’s natural with the shunt and the positioning that I suffered a bit of soreness.
“But a couple of days off on Monday, Tuesday, also yesterday, has been very much needed and very good for the body.”
Jack Doohan in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
A fresh start for Bahrain
Thankfully for the Australian, he is now in good condition to contest the fourth round of 2025 this weekend.
He enters a familiar circuit in Bahrain, both from his time in junior categories and pre-season running in February.
As a rookie undergoing the steep learning curve of adapting to F1, albeit in a uniquely high-stakes environment, this weekend is a chance to capitalise on the data collected in testing.
Doohan believes that three days without any dramas could go a long way:
“I look forward to having a clean weekend and putting it all together.
“We all know it here from testing… but I look forward to just cracking on.
“The back-t0-back nature of the triple-header helps to just keep the flow.”
A look beyond the headlines will show that Doohan has been within a touching distance of Gasly on a relatively consistent basis.
His ambition will be to continue keeping Gasly honest, to raise his market value both within and outside of Alpine.
AloJapan.com