Aussie young gun Doohan set for shock F1 debut in Abu Dhabi after Ocon French exit

Australian Jack Doohan is set to make a shock early Formula 1 debut at this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in place of the outbound Esteban Ocon.

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According to widespread reports not yet confirmed by Alpine, Ocon has agreed to give up his seat one race early in exchange for being released from his contract to join Haas in the post-season test next week.

The Frenchman will join the American squad on a long-term contract from next season alongside Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman.

Doohan, already signed to replace him from next year after more than two season as Alpine’s reserve driver, will make the early step up in his place.

Team principal Oliver Oakes skirted the issue when asked by French broadcaster Canal+ after the Qatar Grand Prix.

“Maybe you know something I don’t,” he said. “We’ll see.”

While the unusual move has been prompted by Ocon’s desire to make a head start on his Haas career, his form relative to Gasly has grown increasingly erratic in the second half of the season, with his qualifying performances in particular dropping precipitously.

His single-lap deficit to the sister has ballooned to 0.258 second since the mid-season break, massively up from the season-long average of 0.085 seconds.

Whereas Gasly has four top-10 qualification since the resumption, Ocon has been eliminated from Q1 the same number of times, including three back-row starts.

Despite leading Alpine’s double podium in Brazil, he’s been outscored 30-18 by his teammate since the break.

Autosport has reported the team has issued Ocon an ultimatum to lift his game relative to his teammate.

Ocon suggested after qualifying last in Qatar, nine places behind the sister car, that he may not be getting equal opportunity from the team as an explanation for his struggles.

“We keep digging but it doesn’t seem to go in the right direction,” he said, per The Race. ”Ask the team.“

Asked whether he thought he was getting an equal chance from the team, he added: “I hope so.”

Ocon’s race in Lusail lasted just one corner, with a lockup into the first turn leading to a collision with Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto. While Hülkenberg was able to continue, the Alpine and Williams cars retired on the spot.

Speaking after the early end to his race, Ocon sounded like a driver who had reached the end of his season early.

“I would like to thank the team for their hard work over this race and their hard work over the whole year,” he said, per The Race.

“When it’s not going so well the engineers and the mechanic have stuck together, and that’s the most important thing.”

“It’s important to look ahead and see what we can prepare for the future.”

Ocon’s relationship with the team has long been strained and reached what had appeared to be its nadir at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he crashed with Gasly on the opening lap and put himself out of the race on a day the team had been hoping for a double points finish in its torrid start to the season.

Then team boss Bruno Famin was reportedly so incensed that he considered dumping the one-time race winner on the spot. He was talked down before the following race, but by then team and driver had agreed to part ways, with Ocon later announcing he had signed for Haas in 2025.

Despite the tension, the decision nonetheless comes at an unusual time, with Alpine in the throes of the lucrative battle to retain sixth place in the constructors championship.

Gasly’s 10 points at the weekend returned the French squad to the head of the midfield with a five-point advantage over Haas and a 13-point buffer over RB.

The difference between sixth and eighth on the title table is estimated to be worth more than $30 million in prize money.

It would therefore appear to be an unusual time to blood a rookie, even if it gives Doohan a head start on his 2025 campaign.

Proponents of the switch, however could argue that Ocon has scored just once since the mid-season break, meaning Doohan could hardly do much worse for the team’s points tally.

The Australian will have the advantage of knowing the Abu Dhabi circuit well, having raced there three times during his Formula 2 career.

His debut will also banish rumours that Alpine had been courting Franco Colapinto to replace the Australian before he’d even entered his first grand prix.