Australian racing prodigy Jack Doohan has made his Formula 1 race weekend debut, driving for Alpine in the first practice session at the Mexican Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old stepped into Esteban Ocon’s Alpine A522 on Friday (local time), having earned the opportunity after strong performances in Formula 2.
He drove 13 laps around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez before engine issues brought a premature end to his time in the car.
The shortened session meant Doohan finished 19th out of the 20 drivers in FP1, recording a time of 1:24.615, which was just under four seconds slower than session leader Carlos Sainz.
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Despite the initial disappointment, the Alpine Academy driver was appreciative of the time he did get on track.
“It was very cool!” Doohan told Formula 1.
“I just obviously have to say a huge thank you to Alpine and all the boys and girls there for giving me this opportunity. It’s something I’ll cherish forever and remember.
“Obviously, we had a small issue after the first run that meant that we couldn’t continue, but I’m still very grateful for the laps I got and it was an amazing experience.”
Doohan-GREAT. FP1 incoming for @jackdoohan33.#MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/26akxuhqU8
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) October 28, 2022
Doohan currently sits in fourth spot in the F2 standings, having claimed three race wins and six podiums so far in 2022.
Despite his growth and recent strong performances, he is set to be without a seat on next year’s F1 grid, with Pierre Gasly chosen by Alpine to replace the outgoing Fernando Alonso.
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With father and motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan in attendance, the practice session in Mexico was a special moment in the Gold Coast-born driver’s young career.
“Once I was in the car, there was obviously a little bit of emotion and feeling, but [in] the lead-up, I was quite content," he said.
“I knew that this was happening for quite a while and it gave me plenty of time to prepare.
“So it wasn’t a shock to the system, and I was very happy before getting into the car, and being in the car.”
New Zealand youngster Liam Lawson also made his F1 debut, replacing Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in FP1.
He finished up at P16 by the conclusion of the session.