Ramifications of Doohan crash

A late night from Alpine has ensured Aussie Jack Doohan will get some much needed FP3 laps after he crashed heavily on Friday in Suzuka.

Doohan was cleared from the medical centre and is “feeling good” and ready to drive and so is his near brand new car after everything was replaced aside from the power unit.

The second generation racer heads into qualifying day of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix on the back foot, getting just four laps under his belt before a high-speed shunt at Turn 1.

A “DRS misjudgement” saw the #7 A525 spear off at 300km/h and spinning into the outside tyres.

Now the data is available, unfortunately Doohan only has himself to blame.

The opening corner at Suzuka is effectively flat out on low, but crucially only without DRS.

On his first flying lap he lifted, but after a cool down lap he decided to go flat out, which was fine.

However, if the driver does not brake they need to deactivate DRS manually and Doohan did not and paid the consequences.

As a result, Doohan will only have four laps under his belt before FP3 after Japanese reserve Ryo Hirakawa replaced the Australian in FP1 to fulfill one of the team’s young driver sessions.

But the crash will only further apply the blowtorch on Doohan, who has been driving with the spectre of losing his seat even before the season began.

There was never any consideration to replace Doohan with Hirakawa on the spot as it would mean that if Franco Colapinto is needed later on, Alpine’s four-driver quoter within a single season would already have been filled.

Toro Rosso experienced this awkward situation in 2017 when firing Danill Kvyat to promote Pierre Gasly.

After Carlos Sainz left for Renualt and was replaced by Kiwi Brendon Harley, a seat was needed to fill in the US GP when Gasly opted to chase the Super Formula title and they had to turn to the exiled Russian, who went on to score a point.

The only positive for the rookie is that Flavio Briatore is not in Suzuka and by the time the Spaniard had woke up in Europe, Alpine boss Oliver Oakes had already done the damage control.

This ensures Doohan will not only get the rest of this weekend to redeem himself, but should also stay in the car for at least the following Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Free Practice 3 begins at 13.30 AEDT where Doohan will need some laps to gain some confidence ahead of qualifying on the twisty and demanding circuit.

Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images/Getty

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