F1 | Alpine: Doohan will replace Ocon in the first free practice in Canada

This weekend in Canada there will be a new name on the starting grid, even if only for one free practice session. Jack Doohan, in fact, will replace Esteban Ocon in the first free practice session in Montreal as part of the FP1 session program that each team must grant to a rookie in at least two events of the season.

News that wouldn’t cause a sensation, if it weren’t for the fact that the last few weeks at Alpine have been heated, not to say incandescent. The accident between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly has once again added fuel to the fire for a team that is experiencing a difficult year in terms of performance after the setbacks recorded in the winter, which led to the A524 starting from the last row in Bahrain.

The relationship between the two transalpine riders has never been idyllic but, in a team context, the two tried to make it work. However, the contact in Monte Carlo rekindled an internal rivalry that had never died out, prompting Team Principal Bruno Famin to utter important words of disappointment.

A few days later the announcement of Ocon’s farewell to the Enstone team arrived, with the French driver actually already negotiating behind the scenes with other teams to evaluate his options available. After five years spent in the same team and such a complex start to the championship, it is normal for a rider to also make his own assessments, finding the best path to take with a view to the future. The Frenchman revealed that he will announce his plans soon, with Haas and Sauber among the most concrete options on the table.

A few days ago Ocon himself had tried to extinguish the controversy over the accident with Gasly with a post on social networks, underlining that, despite the rumors about his possible suspension in Canada, in reality he would have raced in Montreal. The curious aspect is that, in the Canadian FP1, Doohan will ride Ocon’s car.

The Australian is no stranger to Friday outings for the Estonian team, having already taken part in some FP1s in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in the last two seasons, as well as several test sessions thanks to a preparation program in which Alpine has always given the opportunity to the Academy’s talents to accumulate kilometres.

However, the decision to have him take to the track in Montreal is interesting, not only because it comes at a time when Alpine clearly has an open seat, with several riders interested, but also because it arrives on an unusual track for rookies. Teams tend to delay the two free practice sessions for rookies as much as possible, postponing them to the final part of the season. At that point we also try to get them to ride on tracks they already know, such as Abu Dhabi. The situation is different for those drivers who have a broader free practice programme, like Oliver Bearman with Haas, for whom they try to spread the various FP1s over the entire championship.

Jack Doohan during a test session with the 2022 car at Zandvoort in recent weeks

For this reason, the timing of this release represents a particular case, even if, in announcing the plans for Doohan, Famin made no reference to what happened in Munich. “Thanks to the excellent work done by Jack in the simulator in the last few races, we can count on his valuable feedback in Montreal,” said the Team Principal.

Doohan, who is concentrating on reserve and simulator driver duties for Alpine this year after deciding not to continue racing in F2, hopes he can perform well to increase his chances of making his F1 debut. In recent weeks, several names have been linked to the now vacant seat, including Guanyu Zhou, who could thus return to the Alpine Academy after ending the relationship to move to Sauber in 2022.

“I am grateful to the team for giving me the opportunity to have more track time and familiarize myself with the 2024 car at the start of the season,” said Doohan.

“This will also help me in the work I’m doing on the simulator, particularly for the European races. My focus will be on doing the best for the team and maximizing the session for both drivers, examining some test elements, as well as understanding the new Montreal asphalt.”