Jolyon Palmer gives ‘difficult’ verdict on Jack Doohan’s Formula 1 debut with Alpine

Jack Doohan made his early debut with Alpine during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, having been given the opportunity by Flavio Briatore.

Esteban Ocon was due to race at Yas Marina but cut a deal with Briatore whereby he would be released early from the team, so he could take part in the post-season test with his 2025 team Haas.

That meant Doohan was able to step in and along with staying out of trouble, the Australian managed to bring home his car in P15 on his debut.

It was realistically always going to be a challenge for Doohan to make any progress in a car he had only tested a handful of times this year, and Alpine was under pressure to deliver as they were only ahead of Haas in the Constructors’ Championship by only six points.

With neither Haas driver scoring any points and Pierre Gasly finishing in seventh, it enabled Alpine to follow through on its remarkable Sao Paulo GP result which propelled it from ninth to seventh in the championship.

Discussing Doohan’s debut on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer gave his verdict on how it went for the Australian.

Jolyon Palmer rates Jack Doohan’s ‘difficult’ Alpine debut at Abu Dhabi

Doohan qualified in P17 and although he was one of the drivers that was overtaken by Charles Leclerc on the opening lap, he managed to keep up with the rest of the pack.

With several retirements in the early stages of the race, Doohan found himself in P15 at the end of the race. Palmer thinks it was an uneventful race from the Australian, but is impressed with how he fared.

“He didn’t do a lot did he? But he didn’t do a lot wrong either. It’s fine, it’s difficult to parachute someone in for a final race,” said Palmer.

“Abu Dhabi is a nice track with big run-offs but I’m looking forward to see what he and all the rookies can do next season.”

F1 rookies making full-time debuts in 2024

There will be at least five rookies making their full-time F1 debuts in 2024, with Doohan among some of the most experienced out of the bunch.

David Coulthard thinks Doohan has an advantage over the rest of the field, given his race experience at Abu Dhabi with Alpine.

Also joining him will be Oliver Bearman, who has already contested two races with Haas in 2024, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.

Gabriel Bortoleto is the least experienced driver out of the rookies with zero starts or practice sessions, while Red Bull will likely be fielding Isack Hadjar in at RB.

This is because Liam Lawson has now replaced Sergio Perez at Red Bull, following a difficult season for the Mexican.