Jack Doohan, Alpine, Bahrain International Circuit, 2022

Doohan to make F1 test debut with Alpine in Qatar

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In the round-up: Jack Doohan will get his first outing in a Formula 1 car in Qatar this weekend

In brief

Doohan to join Piastri for private Alpine test in Qatar

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Alpine academy driver Jack Doohan, formerly a member of Red Bull’s junior team, will get his first opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car tomorrow during the final day of a private test with last year’s Alpine A521 at the Losail circuit in Qatar.

The Formula 2 driver will run the third and final day of the test in the 2021 car on Sunday after the team’s reserve driver Oscar Piastri completed two days of testing on Wednesday and Thursday. Doohan currently sits 17th in the Formula 2 championship with six points.

“I’m super excited to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time,” said Doohan. “This is a moment that I’ve been building up to ever since I started racing karts, and I know these opportunities are extremely privileged.

“I’ve watched behind the scenes at some private tests before and I’ve completed a lot of preparation in the loop simulator at Enstone, so I’m definitely feeling ready for this challenge. I’ll build myself up on the day, enjoy it at the same time and hopefully learn as much as possible alongside the team.”

Di Grassi does not get “big fuss” over jewellery ban

Venturi Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi says that he does not understand the furore over the FIA’s strict application of its safety rules over jewellery and fireproof underwear.

Di Grassi was fined €10,000 (£8,850) by the FIA during the Punte del Este EPrix in Uruguay in 2018 after he was found to have won underwear that did not adhere to the FIA’s standards. The former Formula E champion says he does not see why the recent clampdown is proving controversial.

“The rule has been around since forever,” Di Grassi told RaceFans.

“It’s just that it’s more critical now that we are operating with high voltage vehicles – regardless if it’s hybrid or it is fully electric, you have high-voltage systems and you cannot have metal around you. It’s a standard rule if you work in a high-voltage environment. Even wedding rings and everything else. So I don’t make a big fuss about it. I take my rings out in a race and then put them back. So I don’t know why this big fuss is really about. It is just for safety and that’s it.

“It’s the same with the underwear. I was fined €10,000 because I was wearing the wrong underwear, but back then we had a reason because we jumped from one car to another, so you had to make sure that everything was in the right place when were putting the seatbelt. So that was the reason before. But since we don’t jump from one car anymore, that there’s no reason to do that.”

Quotes: Hazel Southwell

Zanardi’s 1999 Williams FW21 fetches £267,944 at auction

Alex Zanardi, Ganassi, Williams, Imola, 1999
Zanardi’s 1999 F1 return was not a success
A Williams FW21 chassis raced by Alex Zanardi in the 1999 season fetched €315,000 (£267,944) at a Bonham’s auction in Monaco yesterday ahead of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix this weekend.

The chassis number five was raced at ten rounds of the 1999 season by Zanardi including the Monaco, British, Malaysian and Japanese rounds. Zanardi failed to score any points in the car, or indeed any through the 1999 season, recording a best grid position of fourth and finishing position of seventh, both at the Italian Grand Prix.

Zanardi’s team mate Ralf Schumacher finished sixth in the drivers’ championship with 35 points. Unsurprisingly, Williams opted to replace Zanardi for the 2000 season, hiring young British F3 driver Jenson Button in his place.

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Comment of the day

With Liberty Media’s Greg Maffei hailing Formula 1’s move away from trying to appeal primarily to “old, rich white guys”, reader Hairs_ isn’t so sure that the modern approach is necessarily better for those who aren’t in the higher tax brackets…

Liberty can remove the “old” and “man” but otherwise it’s business as usual for fans, drivers, teams… Only the extremely rich may apply.
Hairs_

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Hyoko and Jen Campbell!

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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14 comments on “Doohan to make F1 test debut with Alpine in Qatar”

  1. Profile Photo

    Gabriel (@gabf1)
    14th May 2022, 1:22

    That Williams livery was terrible looking, especially the way they stepped into the red territory of Ferrari. However it was certainly distinctive, so from a marketing perspective, that’s a win, I guess!

  2. Profile Photo

    Jere (@jerejj)
    14th May 2022, 3:09

    A surprising location choice for this time of year, given the hot desert climate zone.

    Di Grassi has valid points as does COTD have a valid point.

    A collision in a non-competitive event.

    Trashing a hotel floor & other things, LOL.

    Also on this day: 2017 Spanish GP’s 5th anniversary.

  3. Profile Photo

    ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
    14th May 2022, 4:15

    Alpine can’t even find a seat for Piastri. Doohan is not going to race in F1 ever, isn’t he?

  4. Profile Photo

    bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
    14th May 2022, 7:42

    So what happens with the Tyrrell O12 now? (Monaco collision) Presumably all those suspension components are bespoke, I’m sure the car came with parts but those are 36 years old now. Do you just find someone somewhere, give them the bent bits and ask them to make replicas but straight? What if it’s bent the chassis?

    Not that I’m feeling much sympathy, it was a silly move in an exhibition.

    1. S
      14th May 2022, 8:46

      Most of the parts in those cars are quite easy to replicate.
      People are building replicas of complete F1 cars by themselves in their garages these days. Even home tooling is more than capable, given that they often exceed that of the original tools used to build the original car.
      Anyone plonking a historic F1 car on the track at Monaco is prepared to do some repairs – even if the car doesn’t see the light of day for another couple of years.

      As to the move itself – these cars were built to race. They were doing exactly what they were designed for. The drivers – maybe not so much.
      If you are implying there’s no need to attack, I guess there’s also no need to defend in an exhibition event, is there?
      F1 being the procession it is might confuse people as to what car racing is actually about. It hasn’t always been this way…

      1. Profile Photo

        bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
        14th May 2022, 11:16

        Yeah, makes sense amateurs being able to machine parts, looking back at the Ockham in the 80’s it’s not exactly a wondrous carbon fibre space ship. I’m assuming there’s probably a bit of a market for it.

        I want to see these cars driven in anger and race, and of course defend, I just think down the inside into Rascasse is an overly optimistic place to try it. And presumably out of the weekend now.

        1. S
          14th May 2022, 11:35

          Racing is about taking risks. Sometimes they come off and sometimes they don’t.
          The gap was there, it’s just that they weren’t really watching and respecting each other. It (almost) always takes two to tango.

          Yeah, out of this weekend – but not out of existence forever.
          It’ll probably be fixed up in a matter of weeks or a few months. Not many poor people own a historic F1 car and take it onto a packed racetrack – least of all this one in particular…

  5. Profile Photo

    Andrey Baydin (@minilemm)
    14th May 2022, 9:42

    “Di Grassi was fined €10,000 (£8,850) by the FIA during the Punte del Este EPrix in Uruguay in 2018 after he was found to have won underwear that did not adhere to the FIA’s standards“

    One of the funnier sentences out there

    1. MDJ
      14th May 2022, 17:24

      There’s one in almost every article. The site should hire a proof reader.

  6. amian
    14th May 2022, 9:42

    Historic F1 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying right now live for free!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5xYnDHQnI

    The Goodwood Road & Racing YouTube channel broadcasts the whole event. Last year we had a cracker with Alesi fighting for the win in a Ferrari. Can’t wait for the race!

    1. amian
      14th May 2022, 9:45

      The “cars built before 1961” quali has been red flagged. The fast / more modern cars are still ahead.

      11:15 -11:40
      Serie D – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L from 1966 to 1972
      12:15 -12:40
      Serie E – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L from 1973 to 1976
      12:55 -13:10
      Parade « Credit Suisse Classic Car Rally » (3 tours – 40 voitures)
      13:10 -13:45
      Opération Lotus (1 tour)
      14:30 -14:55
      Serie C – Front-engine Sport Racing cars from 1952 to 1957
      15:30 -15:55
      Serie F – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L from 1977 to 1980
      16:30 -16:55
      Serie G – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L from 1981 to 1985

      1. amian
        14th May 2022, 9:51

        Can’t wait for this:
        https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6RrvevoK_cg

  7. antybuc
    16th May 2022, 18:26

    Jack Doohan? Any relationship to Mick Doohan?

    1. George
      17th May 2022, 6:42

      Yea, its his brother mate!!! lol

Comments are closed.