Future extremely uncertain; an abrupt exit looms for this F1 driver

Shortly before the turn of the year, Doohan shared a series of photos on social media that suggested a farewell to his former colleagues at Alpine. The Australian, who was overlooked by the French outfit for a full-time race seat in the 2025 season, offered no caption or explanation to accompany the images, further adding to expectations of an imminent exit.

GPblog understands that Doohan will indeed be leaving Alpine, although official confirmation is still pending. The son of motorsport legend Mick Doohan is expected to compete in Japan’s Super Formula, where he will receive backing from Toyota.

The Japanese manufacturer has an existing technical collaboration with Haas F1, a link that would see Doohan take on a role as one of the team’s regular reserve drivers. Haas, however, has so far remained tight-lipped about the prospective partnership.

A departure from Alpine would bring an end to a challenging chapter in Doohan’s career. After being sidelined by Flavio Briatore as a full-time driver, any realistic prospect of a return faded away. When the time came to consider options for 2026, the decision appeared to centre on Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron, with Doohan scarcely featuring in the conversation at all.

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