Jack Doohan will finally get his chance to race in Formula 1 when he teams up with Alpine for the 2025 season.
The Aussie will replace the outgoing Esteban Ocon next year. Alpine have not disclosed the length of the contract, but it is expected that Doohan will race with the team until at least the end of 2025.
The 21-year-old has been the French outfit reserve driver since 2023 when he was competing in his third year in Formula 2. That season, Doohan grabbed three wins and five podiums to finish third in the standings behind Frederik Vesti and champion Theo Pourchaire.
With Doohan heading into a full-time seat next year, Alpine will be in need of a replacement for their reserve role at the team.
There are several options available from their academy, but according to journalist Joe Saward, Alpine could be set to bring someone in from outside their current crop of drivers.
Alpine are ‘likely’ to bring in Paul Aron as their reserve driver for 2025
Paul Aron has enjoyed a successful junior career up to this point, finishing third in Formula 3 before making his debut in F2 later that year at the final round in Abu Dhabi.
The Estonian landed a full-time seat in F2 with Hitech for 2024 and he has found himself towards the top of the standings. Despite not winning a race so far this year, Aron has grabbed seven podiums and currently sits fourth in the standings with 133 points.
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The 20-year-old had previously been a part of the Mercedes junior team from 2019 up until his departure in 2023. Now, it seems that Aron will be returning to an F1 team as he is ‘likely’ to sign with Alpine has their reserve driver for 2025.
Saward wrote in his blog: “Elsewhere I hear that Alpine will likely take on Estonian Paul Aron from Formula 2.
“A former Mercedes junior, he finished third in his rookie year of Formula 3 in 2023 and is fourth in his first year in Formula 2 and could gain places in the final races. That is a very good record.
“Alpine needs to replace Jack Doohan, who is getting a race seat next year alongside Pierre Gasly. The team is now being run by Oliver Oakes, who has been Aron’s team boss at Hitech in Formula 2 and so knows him well.”
Is Alpine a good move for Paul Aron?
There is no question that this would be an exciting opportunity for Aron and one that is deserved. In his first full assault of F2, the Estonian has established himself as a top talent in the category.
The move also makes sense as Oliver Oakes is currently the team principal at Alpine, who knows Aron well as he is his team boss at Hitech in F2.
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It is not known whether Oakes will remain as Alpine boss as he is in the role until the end of the 2024 season after replacing Bruno Famin.
Another question is whether Aron will be racing next season. Doohan has been solely committed to his reserve driver role in 2024 and has not been competing in any series, so keeping himself race sharp will be important for the Estonian if he is to join Alpine in 2025.