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Haas has signed Jack Doohan as its reserve driver for the 2026 Formula One season.
Doohan, who became a free agent after being released by Alpine in January, had a racing seat with Alpine at the start of the 2025 season but was replaced by Franco Colapinto after just six rounds.
The 22-year-old Australian will replace Oliver Behrmann and Esteban Ocon at Haas, joining Japan’s Ryo Hirakawa as a reserve option for the American side.
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Jack Doohan rants about his Alpine team after being released at the same time as Pierre Gasly, costing him a final finish in Miami Grand Prix Sprint Q1
“I’m delighted to be joining the TGR Haas F1 Team. It’s the ideal place to continue my Formula One career,” said Doohan, the son of five-time MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan.
“I would like to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to grow and meet the huge challenges of 2026 together. I am eager to start working with the team to build a successful season together.”
Doohan’s rookie season seemed doomed before it even began, with speculation rampant ahead of the first game of the 2025 season that he would be replaced by Colapinto early in the year.
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Jack Doohan gives cool response to hints of ‘pressure’ over Franco Colapinto joining Alpine ahead of 2025 F1 season
That speculation became reality after he failed to score in the first six rounds, although Colapinto was driving a poor Alpine car and failed to score in the remaining 18 rounds.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said: “I’m personally very pleased to have Jack joining our team as he has an excellent racing resume and of course his experience as a reserve driver in Formula One.
“Staying sharp and ready for the race, while also understanding how the team operates and so on, is a challenge for any driver, but especially one who is obviously still very keen to compete at this level again. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Jack and we look forward to welcoming him to the team and benefiting from his contribution.”
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Sky F1’s Anthony Davidson explains Jack Doohan’s high-speed crash in Japanese Grand Prix FP2 was caused by the Alpine driver forgetting to turn off DRS
When does the F1 Bahrain pre-season test take place?
The introduction of the new regulations means there will be a full schedule of three separate testing events before the start of the 2026 season.
With the closed race in Barcelona over, F1 will next head to Bahrain for two “official” pre-season tests, where the media will be present and on-track timing will be provided.
The two three-day Tests in Bahrain are held from February 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 respectively.
When was the first F1 race?
Teams then have two weeks to prepare for the first round of the season, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6-8.
The first practice session of the season will be held on Friday 6 March, qualifying will be held on Saturday 7 March and the opening race will be held on Sunday 8 March.
Stream every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8. Watch Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime
