18/12/2023
NEWS STORY
Alpine reserve driver, Jack Doohan is looking to line up a 2024 F1 test programme as he eyes a place on the 2025 grid.
The Australian recently finished his two-year stint in F2, finishing third overall courtesy of an amazing comeback in the second half of the season.
As it stands, though linked with a number of potential offers, the youngster has no fixed plans for 2024, other than continuing with Alpine as the French team's reserve driver.
With this in mind, Doohan is hoping to put together an F1 test programme similar to that enjoyed by Oscar Piastri when he was with the French team, and which clearly paid dividends in his rookie season with McLaren.
However, while Doohan got to drive the 2023 car in free practice in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, the regulations only allowed private running in the 2021 A521, however, for next year he would be allowed to drive the 2022 car which, courtesy of the rules overhaul last year, is more similar to the cars Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will drive be driving in 2024.
"The team obviously haven't made an announcement, so I don't want to jump the gun on anything," he told Speedcafe. "We'll obviously be spending a lot of time inside a car and the test programme will be announced soon. It's great to know that I have that.
"There'll be more than I was doing this year, which is great," he added. "I'm becoming more and more comfortable with the car. Whether I'm racing or not next year, it's just super important to have that seat time. For Alpine to have provided that for me is very important, so I look forward to that."
Following his FP1 outing in Abu Dhabi, Doohan stayed on for the tyre test, completing 108 laps and posting the seventh best time, he also took part in the post-season F2 test at the Yas Marina.