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Australian young gun Jack Doohan has claimed his first feature race win in Formula 2, moving ever closer to consideration for a F1 seat in the future.
The son of five-time MotoGP champion Mick, the 19-year-old won the Belgian Grand Prix from championship leader Felipe Drugovich and New Zealand Red Bull junior Liam Lawson.
It was his third win of the season but the previous two, at Silverstone and the Hungaroring, were in sprint races where the grid is reversed.
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After qualifying fourth, a good start saw Doohan move up into second on the opening lap. He then undercut Drugovich by pitting early before fending him off to meet the chequered flag first.
“Felipe obviously had really good pace and we were able to stay close though, not really drop away,” he explained post-race.
“We were both extending the stint and it seemed like you know, our pace was quite similar. They were saying that the overcut could be possibly stronger, but I decided to do the opposite and box.
“I knew I gathered good tyre temp on the way to the grid, I pushed hard – I wasn’t expecting there to be so much overcut but it was.”
Doohan is linked with the Alpine Academy, like compatriot Oscar Piastri who won the Formula 2 title last year as a rookie. Piastri has since attempted a move to McLaren where he would replace Daniel Ricciardo, with Alpine trying to keep him to his contract.
While Doohan is not expected to make an immediate jump to the F1 – he hasn’t shown the level of results of Piastri, and even Piastri has had to wait on the sidelines for a chance at the top level – his continued growth will keep him in the frame.
Alpine currently only has one driver, Esteban Ocon, and if they can’t retain Piastri may opt for a short-term replacement for Fernando Alonso, before looking for a younger option like Doohan in 2024 or beyond.
Doohan now sits fourth in the championship behind Drugovich, Theo Pourchaire – linked with Alfa Romeo – and American Williams seat contender Logan Sargeant. He came into the weekend ninth.
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