Jack Doohan has replaced Esteban Ocon at Alpine ahead of the final round of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Ocon is moving onto Haas for next season after five years at Alpine as he partners British driver Oliver Bearman, who will begin his first full F1 season.
The Frenchman has lagged behind his teammate, Pierre Gasly, this season. He is battling Nico Hulkenberg for 10th place in the championship standings and needs to overturn a one-point deficit.
Doohan is stepping up from his reserve driver role at Alpine and is looking to gather valuable experience ahead of a full season next year.
Jolyon Palmer explained that Alpine may have had some concerns over Ocon before he moved to Haas for next season, which led to Doohan’s promotion.
Alpine were ‘concerned’ about Esteban Ocon going ‘all in’ in Abu Dhabi
Alpine and Haas are competing for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship and a significant amount of prize money heading into the 2025 season.
The French team holds sixth place before the weekend with a five-point advantage over Haas, with one round to go.
The prize money would be a significant boost but not taking sixth place would have some benefits such as added wind tunnel time to develop the car next year.
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Ahead of next year, Ocon agreed to skip the final round of the season so he could make a start with Haas in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi after the race weekend.
Jolyon Palmer explained on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra that Alpine may have had doubts over Ocon’s commitment heading into the final race of the year before moving to the American team.
He said: “Alpine are concerned that Ocon is driving for Haas next year and there is an element of doubt that Ocon is all in to try to beat Haas this year.”
Alpine’s new driver has a mountain to climb this weekend, although Doohan has already taken victory in Abu Dhabi in Formula 2.
Jack Doohan has a good opportunity to learn ahead of his rookie season next year
Doohan will have a tough task next season at Alpine alongside Gasly after sitting on the sidelines this year as a reserve driver, doing a lot of work in the simulator.
Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has very few expectations for Doohan in Abu Dhabi as the Australian has a lot to learn in a short amount of time.
He performed well on Friday across the two practice sessions, building up to the limit on a new track in F1 and critically keeping the car on the track.
Next season will be difficult for Doohan as he has to learn a lot of new tracks among the brutal midfield and a relentless calendar of 24 races. He will have a good benchmark in Gasly, and he can learn away from the spotlight of the sharp end.
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