Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Jack Doohan does dad Mick proud with F1 practice debut

Reuters
Doohan was watched by father Mick during his first ever F1 practice
Doohan was watched by father Mick during his first ever F1 practiceProfimedia
Australian Jack Doohan (19) said he felt a lot of emotions after making his Formula One practice debut in Mexico on Friday, with proud father and motorcycling great Mick watching trackside.

The 19-year-old F2 driver is a member of Alpine's academy and is seen as a possible reserve for the Renault-owned team next year after the departure of McLaren-bound compatriot Oscar Piastri.

He said he would have not changed a thing after 13 laps with a best time of one minute and 24.615 seconds in the A522 car that will be raced by Esteban Ocon at the high-speed Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

"It's a gift and a curse starting at such a difficult place but also I can take so much from it, I've learned so much," he told reporters, his session ending early after a power unit problem.

"I've been preparing myself trying to make my way into the paddock. The nerves of jumping from Formula Two to F1 had been a little less because this is where I want to be.

"When I jumped into the car there was a lot of excitement and a heap of emotions, but once I was out on the track all that flushed away and it's hard to describe what I was feeling, but it was a really cool sensation."

Doohan is also scheduled to drive in first free practice at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi, a circuit he expected to be easier than the high-altitude Mexico City track.

Mick, a five-times 500cc world champion, said he felt butterflies in his stomach as he watched.

"It’s a major box ticked really isn't it? This is what all these young drivers aim to do so as a father to see him there... I’ve been at every go-kart track along the way, so it’s a magnificent moment," he told Sky Sports television.