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Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve said Jack Doohan has been driving in “despair” after revealing a mistake that led to a massive collapse in his second practice in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Doohan lost control on his second flight of Suzuki track after the Alpine chose to choose racer Ryo Hirakawa in his home race.
It initially looked like his alpine car bottomed out, but a closer inspection of the replay showed that the Dr on his rear wing was still open.
On low fuel, the 1-turn of the Suzuki is usually flat, so the driver won’t brake. When the driver touches the brake, the DRS will automatically turn off, so entering the first corner, the driver needs to manually turn off the DRS flap by pressing the button on the steering wheel.
Doohan did not do this, which caused him to lose the downforce and fell into a big spin before he hit the wall.
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Jack Doohan of the Alps brought an early red flag during practice
“We are all relieved to see Jack leaving him in Free Practice 2 and it’s great to see him everything is OK after the precautions,” said Alpine principal Oliver Oakes.
“It’s a misjudgment that it’s not shutting down Drs into the first round. It’s something worth learning and I know Jack and the team will be ready for tomorrow. His crew will work hard to prepare the car after injury.”
Doohan added: “First of all, I’m OK after the incident. It’s a heavy thing, and it surprises me that I’ll learn from it.
“I know the team has a lot of work to fix tomorrow’s cars, so thank them in advance for their efforts. My focus is tomorrow, we will have free practice 3, ready for the qualifying race.”
Did “despair” lead Doohan to make expensive mistakes?
Doohan is under pressure in 2025 after signing Franco Colapinto on the mountain, leading to speculation that the Argentines are lined up as a replacement.
The 22-year-old crashed from his Australian Grand Prix and finished 13th in China a week later.
“The problem is that he knew before the first game he might not end the season,” 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve told Sky Sports F1.
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After Jack Doohan’s second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, Naomi Schiff and Jacques Villeneuve discussed how long they thought he would stay in the Alps
“He was under great pressure from (alpine boss) Flavio Briatore, mostly waiting on his wings for Colapinto to wait, writing on the wall. His driving showed despair and had to prove that he was at least better than (Pierre) slowly (Pierre) Gassily, so they should keep him.
“When he has been told, ‘Do a few races, but you may be replaced.’ … You can see it in his driving. It’s uncomfortable. When the driver is psychologically in this situation, driving is not natural and small mistakes start to happen.”
Can Lawson-Tsunoda exchange affect the mountains and Doohan?
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Jack Doohan and Carlos Sainz
Doohan, who made a one-year contract in the Alpine, finished second in the 2023 Formula 1 Championship and then spent nearly the entire season off the court last year.
However, when Esteban Ocon left Alpine early, he was asked to compete in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of the season.
Sky Sports F1′S Naomi Schiff believes that Red Bull’s decision to exchange Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda may affect Doohan.
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Jack Doohan
“The weekend talk was Liam being relegated after two games, and I think it might be possible to provide inspiration for other teams at times to make tough decisions early on,” Schiff said.
“We don’t know how many races Jack has to prove himself. It’s very demanding to get into a tour like this and pull him out of FP1 (for Hirakawa) and it’s so critical to have such a technical track when he had to learn cars, learn the characteristics of racing.
“I wonder why they didn’t drive Pierre out of the car. He knows the track, he knows the car, he’s been here a few times. It feels harsh.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Japanese GP program
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Reflect on some of the most dramatic moments that took place in the Japanese Grand Prix
Saturday, April 5
- 3.15am: Three Japanese GP exercises (the meeting starts at 3.30am)*
- 6:00 a.m.: Accumulation of qualified general practitioners in Japan*
- 7:00 a.m.: Japanese GP Qualification*
- 9:00 am: TED Qualification Notebook*
Sunday, April 6
- 4.30am: Japanese GPs Gathering: Grand Prize Sunday*
- 6:00 am: Japan Award*
- 8 am: Japan GP reaction: Checkered flag*
- 9:00 am: TED’s notebook*
*Also live in the main event of Sky Sports
The recipe is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend at the iconic Suzuki Tour of the Japan Grand Prix. Streaming with Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel at any time
