The Australian driver got off to a bad start in the Suzuka tests and his new adventure outside Alpine
With no seat available at Alpine for the 2026 Formula 1 season, Doohan decided to focus his immediate future on Japan. The category officially included him in the tests taking place this week and his addition to Kondo Racing is already a fact. Although Toyota has not yet announced it formally, everything indicates that he will take a starting seat next year, sharing the team with Luke Browning and replacing Kenta Yamashita, who moved to KCMG.
For now, his future seems uncertain. Meanwhile, in Franco Colapinto's team, who took his place after a disastrous start to the year, he will not be considered even as a reserve driver, and in Super Formula he did not make the best impression. In addition, there are no clear signs of a possible return to F1 with another team despite rumors linking him to Haas due to his ties with Toyota.
After the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 will go on break until next year. First, there will be a preseason with three test sessions: one in Barcelona (from January 26 to 30) and two in Bahrain (from February 11 to 13 and from February 18 to 20 of the same month).
In this regard, the official calendar of the category will only begin in March with the Australian Grand Prix, which will take place from the 6th to the 8th at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
Jack Doohan experienced a busy debut in the Japanese Super Formula. In his first participation in the postseason tests at Suzuka, the Australian driver was involved in a serious accident that forced the session to be stopped with a red flag. The driver was transported by ambulance for precautionary examinations, although in the end he did not suffer any serious injuries.
After the heavy crash, the Australian driver finished second to last in the tests and later was absent from the press conference scheduled at the end of the day. The organization provided the explanation that it was for "personal reasons," on a day that began with hope and ended with a major scare.
