Doohan out in Q1: “Not the end result we wanted”

Frustrated by a Q1 elimination he felt was within reach to avoid, Jack Doohan was left to reflect on missed potential after qualifying P17 for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, admitting “it’s not the end result we wanted”.

One of the first drivers to venture out onto the 6.1km circuit was Jack Doohan who recorded a 1:29.150s for his first banker lap in Q1.

Despite initially looking competitive, the Australian was forced to watch his expected fall from grace as he returned to the Alpine garage, dropping into the unfavourable elimination zone alongside his teammate. 

Continuing with his proactive approach, the #7 was again one of the first drivers on track as the final haul of push laps commenced.

Doohan made improvements across the lap, however, when he crossed the line with a time of 1:28.739s, it was only quick enough for a temporary P13. 

The lap set him at risk of a Q1 exit, with the Australian slipping down the order as the quicker cars behind took the chequered flag.

It was his teammate Pierre Gasly who was the final nail in Doohan’s qualifying coffin, with the Frenchman promoting himself to safety and in turn, demoting Doohan into the bottom five.

“It’s not the end result we wanted in Qualifying, but, overall, I’m pleased with the steps we made today after a challenging Practice yesterday,” Doohan said.

“We made good steps forward between Free Practice 3 to Qualifying. 

“We were able to work through some things and find some improvements overnight and I immediately felt the positive impact in the first few laps of today where I was much more comfortable in the car compared to yesterday.”

His fastest time of 1:28.739s left him 0.181s behind the Q1 cut-off and as a result, the Alpine driver will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from P17, with his targets of a points finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend looking all the more elusive this time out in Saudi Arabia.

The Australian will share the second-last row with Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, with his teammate out of sight after securing a ticket into the top-ten shootout.

“The end result in Qualifying is not one we are happy with especially being so close to reaching Q2,” he said.

“We remain optimistic and we know overtaking opportunities are better here than other circuits and we will aim to take advantage of a few things like strategy with the ambition of progressing forwards to the points.”

Lights out for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place at 03:00 AEST, with Doohan hopeful that the high-speed, unforgiving nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit will play handsomely into his hands come the chequered flag on Monday morning.

Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images.

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