Is Doohan the favourite for Ocon's seat: 'We are preparing him'

Alpine are looking for a new driver for next season. Esteban Ocon is leaving the team, leaving a spot vacant. Jack Doohan is an option, as he is already in the French team's driver academy programme. In Canada, team boss Bruno Famin confirmed this to Sky Sports.

After Ocon collided with his teammate, Pierre Gasly, during the opening lap in Monaco, Famin reacted furiously. The Frenchman then said there would be consequences for the one-time race winner. Those came: just over a week after the Monaco race, word came out that Ocon will leave the team at the end of the season.

Doohan currently looks like a contender to take over Ocon's seat. Last season, he finished third in the Formula 2 championship, but most importantly, he is part of Alpine's driver academy programme and their current reserve driver. This puts him in a favourable position for the seat.

Famin says: "Jack is an option. We are preparing him. He has quite a fierce test programme. We are happy with that. Let's see how he develops. He is one of several drivers we are keeping an eye on, but he is definitely a contender."

When the team boss was then asked if he is also the favourite for the seat, he laughingly replied, "There is no... I'm not going to respond to this, I'm not going to answer this question. Good try!"

This article was written in collaboration with Ben Stevens.