Jack Doohan has experienced a whirlwind 12 months — from the high of an F1 promotion with Alpine to the low of losing his race seat after a handful of races, and then leaving the team. Now, 2026 brings a fresh start: he’s joined Haas as a reserve driver and is focused on building a more positive chapter in Formula 1.
A rollercoaster year
This time last year Doohan was set to become a full-time F1 racer with Alpine for 2025 after debuting at the 2024 Abu Dhabi finale. That opportunity lasted just seven grands prix — roughly 150 days as an F1 race driver — ending at the Miami Grand Prix. After his run, Franco Colapinto filled his place and talk of a return faded; Doohan officially departed Alpine in January 2026.
In February 2026 he confirmed a move to Haas as a reserve driver, keeping him in the paddock and in contention for future openings. Speaking after the 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, Doohan said: “Things are good! It’s been great first feelings with the team… a fresh start — meeting plenty of new faces, new people, a new team, a new car. Everyone’s been so welcoming, which has been very refreshing.”
Processing the Alpine experience
Reflecting on his seven-race stint at Alpine, Doohan described a difficult period that included sustained speculation over his future, heavy accidents, public pressure amplified by Season 8 of Drive to Survive, and even death threats amid calls to promote Colapinto. He singled out how the uncertainty from late 2024 into 2025 created an uncomfortable environment.
“It was sort of a moment that you look forward to your whole life, of being an F1 driver, and unfortunately… it was probably one of the toughest 12 months of my young life,” he said. “At the end of 2024 there was already some chat going on, which puts a little bit of an eerie feeling and strangeness in the air… Time, unfortunately… I should have had, and thought I was going to have, plenty of time in the car, but it was very, very clear that Miami was going to be my final race… I was always on borrowed time, I guess, and it’s difficult to maximise things when you know what’s to come.”
Despite the pain, Doohan says he’s learned a lot about coping with pressure and intends to use the experience constructively: “I’m grateful to have experienced that now… and to have learned an awful lot of how to cope with that going forward.”
A new home at Haas
At Haas Doohan’s immediate priority is to support regular drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman — not to dwell on his own return. “It’s very difficult to say” whether Haas will be his route back to a race seat, he said. “I wish the best for the two boys who are in, that they can move up and go on to strong things, which would obviously pave a pathway for myself, but I have no expectation.”
Doohan emphasised his focus on contributing: “I want to help the team as best I can… the interaction with the team, the engineers, the mechanics, and also how we connect on a personal level, which is important because we spend more time together than with anyone else. If that all develops well and the opportunity arises, then I’ll take it with both hands, but until then… I’m putting that to the side, and if I’m able to contribute in a way that helps the team going forward, then I’m sure that won’t position me in a bad place either.”
Getting back in the cockpit
Doohan is keen to stay sharp behind the wheel. Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) is “definitely on the radar over the next few months,” and he’s exploring a racing programme to complement his reserve duties after limited race outings in the past two years. Ideally he’d like to race as soon as possible; being mid-February limits options, but he’s targeting endurance opportunities such as ELMS and a possible LMP2 entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans to stay race fit.
“We had to make sure that everything was all clear on the Alpine side of things before we were able to fully, finally proceed and confirm with Haas… which was a little bit on the later side,” he said. “Hopefully I can confirm something soon.”
Looking ahead
With the noise around his Alpine exit and Drive to Survive exposure expected to ease after his move, Doohan says he’s excited to return to what he loves: racing. “I’m excited to just get back into enjoying what I love, which is racing cars, and ultimately in F1. It’s something that I enjoy, and that is my life and more, so to be able to get back into a place where I can feel at home with it, feel safe and welcome, would be ideal.”