Jack Doohan sends classy message to Esteban Ocon ahead of replacing him at Abu Dhabi GP

Esteban Ocon has left Alpine one race earlier than expected and reserve driver Jack Doohan has been called up to race alongside Pierre Gasly at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Jack Doohan expressed his gratitude to Esteban Ocon after it was announced he will race in the Frenchman’s stead in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Australian racer Doohan had already been signed by Alpine to race for the team in 2025, alongside Pierre Gasly. Ocon was axed earlier this year and has since signed with Haas for next term.

His Alpine farewell was due to be this Sunday at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, on Monday it was announced that last weekend’s Qatar race was the Frenchman’s last for the team.

Ocon wanted to drive for Haas in the post-season test to get a head-start on the new chapter of his career. To make that happen, a deal was struck with Alpine which prematurely ends their partnership and allows reserve driver Doohan to make his Formula 1 debut at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Doohan, 21, has since taken to social media to declare his excitement for the moment he has been waiting for – and to send a classy message of gratitude to Ocon. He wrote: “Stoked to be racing in Abu Dhabi this weekend for my debut Grand Prix. Grateful to @AlpineF1Team for the trust and for giving me this opportunity.

“Also very grateful to Esteban who I’ve learnt a great deal from over the last two years. He’s been beneficial to my learning and development in Formula 1 and wish him the best for his future. Focused on the job at hand this week and working with Pierre to help the team achieve its objective.”

Alpine have struggled this season but have managed to be more competitive in recent races. In particular, a surprise double podium in Brazil thanks to a bold strategy gamble which paid off has catapulted them up the constructors’ championship standings.

They sit sixth on 59 points heading into the season finale, having been lounging down in ninth for most of the year. They are five points ahead of Haas and will hope to still be there by the time they take the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Lead driver Gasly expressed his delight after finishing fifth in Qatar and said: “The end of the season is going extremely well and looking back at where we were at the start of the year is just very, very impressive – what they’ve been able to achieve in terms of development and putting performance onto the car even though we had a challenging year.

“Today was mega. I felt good in the car, the car was well balanced, we had great pace, great battles on track, especially this last stint with Carlos [Sainz] behind for over 15 laps. It really kept me on my toes and I had to really be on it. Not every race this year we could fight for a top five so I really gave absolutely everything I had out there and I’m glad it worked out.”