Jack Doohan crashed heavily during the second practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday. Doohan was okay after the largest shunt of the F1 season so far.
The Alpine driver had missed FP1 as reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa got the chance to drive in front of his home fans. Ted Kravitz says Doohan was ‘miffed’ with the decision.
And just minutes into FP2, Doohan lost control of his A525 on the entry to the high-speed turn one. He slammed into the tyre wall, causing enormous damage.
The cause of the accident is unclear at this stage. Doohan didn’t appear to dip a wheel into the grass before the incident.
There was another red flag later in the session as Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso made a mistake. The two-time world champion, who’s the most experienced driver on the grid, beached his car in the gravel between the two Degners.
Mick Doohan heads to medical centre after Jack Doohan crash
Doohan’s father Mick is in attendance at the Japanese Grand Prix. The 59-year-old is a racing legend himself, having won multiple titles in the premier class of motorcycle racing.
His son looked winded when he climbed out of the car after a short delay. Under the rules, drivers must visit the medical centre if their impact exceeds a certain G-force threshold.
And DAZN’s cameras in the paddock captured Doohan Sr heading to the facility to check on his son. He was joined by F1 president Stefano Domenicali and members of the drivers’ camp.
Later in the session, the rookie was seen walking through the paddock unaided. Doohan has only once raced at Suzuka before – in the 2019 Asian F3 Championship.
Alpine’s stance on Jack Doohan missing Japanese Grand Prix qualifying after accident
The severity of Doohan’s crash immediately raised doubts over whether he’d take part in qualifying or indeed the race. He was apparently travelling at 300 km/h, or 186 mph, when the car snapped.
According to journalist Carlos Miquel, Alpine could decide to sideline Doohan ‘as a precaution’, depending on the observations of the circuit doctors. Hirakawa is naturally available as a replacement.
Karun Chandhok criticised Alpine for benching Doohan, though it may be too early to say that contributed to the crash. If he does take part on Saturday, he’ll be at a major disadvantage relative to his competitors.
F1 Oversteer understands that Doohan fears the Japanese Grand Prix will be his last race. There have been strong rumours that Colapinto will replace him in the early stage of the season.
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