On a steamy Friday at Hard Rock Stadium before the Miami Grand Prix, I walked out of Alpine’s hospitality area after having lunch with reserve driver Jack Doohan. The only thought that came to mind after that meeting?

Doohan was soon expected to become a full-time driver on the Formula 1 grid.

It’s almost here.

Ending weeks of speculation, Alpine confirmed this morning ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix that Doohan will drive alongside Pierre Gasly next season. The Australian driver has signed a seat with the team on a ‘multi-year’ deal.

The team began announcing the announcement early on Friday morning, starting with this short video of Gasly sneaking into an office in Alpine’s hospitality area and asking an Amazon device who his teammate will be next year. (For those reading this article on Apple News (you can see the message here):

The official announcement followed shortly afterwards.

Oliver Oakes, who makes his debut as the new team principal this week, praised Doohan’s dedication to the team. “We are very excited to promote Jack to the race seat from next season and give him the opportunity to showcase his skills and talent in Formula 1. Jack will be the first driver to graduate from the Alpine Academy to a race driver position with the team, so this is extremely exciting for the team and its young driver pathway,” said Oakes. “Having worked with Jack personally in 2019, I am fully aware of his raw talent and potential. He is a very hard-working man behind the scenes and his dedication is hugely appreciated by the entire team. Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good combination of youthful energy, experience and raw speed. We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre to continue to develop the car and take the team to the front of the grid.”

Doohan called the promotion an “exciting moment.”

“I am so pleased to have been promoted to a full-time race seat in 2025 with BWT Alpine F1 Team. I am very grateful for the trust and belief of the team’s senior management. There is still so much work to do 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,” said Doohan. “It is extremely satisfying to be the first Alpine Academy graduate to have a race seat with the team and I am hugely grateful to those who have supported me along the way to make this a reality. It is an exciting moment, a proud day for my family, and I look forward to taking it all in and pushing hard behind the scenes.”

Doohan last raced full-time in the 2023 season, finishing third in the championship while driving for Invicta and winning three of the last five feature races. Rather than return to the F2 grid this season, Doohan decided to focus his full attention on his reserve duties for Alpine, hoping to secure a place on the grid.

During our conversation in Miami, Doohan explained to me what his duties were.

“Being ready to jump in the car,” Doohan said when I asked him what his job entails. “And that includes being in all the media briefings, technical briefings, pre-session meetings, post-session meetings, and also being deployed to marketing activations, marketing meetings, spending time with (communications teams, social media teams). I try to maximize myself and my time here to make sure I’m as prepared as possible.”

And now Alpine believes he is ready.