The son of a racing driver, Jack Doohan, has secured a place on the Formula 1 grid for next year, giving Australia the chance to field three top-level drivers for the first time in almost half a century.

Thirty years after his father Mick Doohan won the first of his five motorcycle world championships, Doohan has signed a contract with French team Alpine, joining compatriots Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Daniel Ricciardo (RB) in an exclusive group on the F1 circuit next year.

Australia has not had three F1 drivers in the same season since 1976, when Alan Jones, Larry Perkins and Warwick Brown were at the top. However, that depends on whether Ricciardo retains his seat at RB, which is not certain.

The 21-year-old Doohan is giving motorsport in this country another boost: he is set to make his Formula 1 debut on home soil at next year’s Australian Grand Prix. The Grand Prix is ​​​​the opening race of the 2025 season, after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were postponed due to Ramadan.

The last driver to make his Formula 1 debut at Albert Park was Mark Webber, who secured a point for Minardi, then driven by Australian Paul Stoddart, in a dramatic race that saw only eight of the 22 drivers reach the finish.

The announcement on Friday that Doohan will drive for Alpine alongside Frenchman Pierre Gasly was widely anticipated in F1 circles. Doohan has been Alpine’s reserve driver since the start of last year, after rising through the ranks in Formula 3 and Formula 2. The role was previously held by Piastri before he joined McLaren on the F1 grid.

“I am so pleased to have been promoted to a full-time race seat with BWT Alpine F1 Team in 2025,” said Doohan.

“I am very grateful for the trust and belief of the senior management of the team. There is so much work to be done to be prepared and ready, and in the meantime I will do my best to absorb as much information and knowledge as possible to be ready for the step up.

“It’s extremely satisfying to be the first Alpine Academy graduate to sit in a racing seat with the team, and I’m hugely grateful to those who supported me to make this happen. It’s an exciting moment, a proud day for my family, and I’m looking forward to soaking it all in and pushing hard behind the scenes.”