F1 2023: Jack Doohan’s junior career, Formula 2 campaign, World Endurance Championship, Alpine driver academy

Aussie rising star Jack Doohan says his racing future is secure despite being unable to confirm a program for 2024.

Doohan is currently competing in his second season of Formula 2, where he’s fourth in the championship standings with one round to go in Abu Dhabi.

The 20-year-old, who is also Alpine’s Formula 1 reserve driver, has said he won’t recontest the junior series next year, with his focus switching to securing a seat on the premier-class grid.

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But his odds of appearing in Formula 1 full-time in 2024 are very long. Only Williams has a seat available, but the British team is expected to retain rookie Logan Sargeant into a second season.

Doohan has instead been connected to the World Endurance Championship, where Alpine will return to the hypercar class next year. Mick Schumacher has also been linked to the team, having completed a private test in the French WEC prototype last month.

Speaking to select media including Fox Sports, Doohan said he was confident Alpine would secure him a seat somewhere for next season but that nothing could be publicly confirmed.

“I’m not too sure at the moment, to be honest,” he said. “I’m not stressed about my future. I’m in a very safe and comfortable place within Alpine.

“There are opportunities for sure, but in the near future we’re going to decide just what’s going to be most beneficial for me.

“There’s the potential of WEC within Alpine and with the team, but really it’s not a major stress.

“I know I don’t have to worry about the close future, so it’s a comfortable place to be in, and it’s really good that we have that connection between myself and the team.”

But Doohan said any move to another category next year wouldn’t distract from his ultimate goal to race in Formula 1 in 2025.

“We’re still pushing and still on the route for Formula 1,” he said. “We know there are going to be plenty of opportunities in 2025, so the main focus is still that, and it’s just deciding what’s going to be best for me and also for the team to make me most prepared for that.”

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Doohan’s Alpine reserve program got him into first practice at the weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, his third spin behind the wheel of a modern F1 car after practice outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last year.

He will again twin his F2 commitments with FP1 in Abu Dhabi later his year.

He received the call-up for last year’s practice program as next in line after Oscar Piastri, who sensationally defected from the team over a contract dispute to join McLaren.

But Doohan’s strong second half in last season’s F2 campaign convinced Alpine that he could be integral to the team in the long term, and he’s been embedded in the squad ever since.

That his deployment during practice in Mexico was to test 2024 development parts rather than pursue fast times is testament to his important role in the team, he said.

“I think a big part last year was I was hopping in the car as a rookie FP1 session and running through a normal program — giving me laps and then putting on a set of tyres at the end and trying to go for a quick lap or whatever,” he explained.

“With my time with the team now and the trust, I’m not needing to prove anything. They know I can perform over one lap. They know I can do the time.

“It was really cool that they were able to use this session as an advantage and get some important test items through.

“I think that’s an important gain that I’ve accepted and understood, because coming in as a rookie, you want to set a quick time, you want to be up there, but understanding that and knowing that is a big part of it as well.

“I’m happy about that, and there’ll be plenty time in the future to set some quick times.”

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Doohan said he has also developed significantly in an off-track capacity, becoming a more complete package as a driver.

“For me something coming in from Formula 2 and junior single seater series to then coming into Formula 1 is just the how many people come together to really make these two cars go out of the garage and also run correctly,” he said.

“It’s making sure I’m spending time with all of them, and not only just the people that are here at the racetrack, because they’re very few of the big picture. Each and every one is so important.

“I’ve been able to see how everyone — and the drivers and also engineers — communicate between each other, because it’s super important to have that connection not only just with your race engineer but everyone in the team.”

After this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix, Doohan will be flown to Bahrain for a full F1 race simulation with the team before rejoining the paddock in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.