Watch Jack Doohan‘s Suzuka crash as Alpine F1 Team reveals cause of the high-speed incident that happened during FP2.
The incident which happened at Turn 1 saw the Australian driver lose control of his Alpine A525 and collide heavily with the barriers resulting in significant damage to the car.
Despite the severity of Jack Doohan’s Suzuka crash, he walked away without major injuries, a testament to the safety measures implemented in modern Formula 1 cars.
The incident unfolded shortly after Doohan took to the track for FP2. Having missed FP1 due to Alpine’s decision to allocate the session to reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa as part of rookie testing obligations, he was eager to make up for lost time.
However, the 22-year old’s return to action was cut short when he approached Turn 1 at high speed with the Drag Reduction System (DRS) still activated.
The aerodynamic device which reduces drag on straight sections of the track should ideally be closed before entering corners to maintain rear stability. Failing to deactivate it in time caused a loss of grip at the rear of the car leading to a catastrophic spin and subsequent impact with the barriers.
Doohan’s crash brought an immediate halt to the session as red flags were waved, signaling a pause for track marshals to clear debris and assess safety conditions.
The impact speed was estimated at around 300 km/h (185 mph), making it one of the most severe crashes in his career.
Nonetheless, initial fears were alleviated when Doohan communicated over team radio that he was “okay.” He was promptly taken to the medical center for precautionary checks, where it was confirmed that he had not sustained any serious injuries or concussion.
Alpine addresses Jack Doohan’s Suzuka crash
Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes later addressed the media, describing the incident as a “misjudgment” on Doohan’s part.
“We are all relieved to see Jack walk away from his incident in Free Practice 2 and glad to see he is OK after his precautionary checks,” team boss Oliver Oakes said.
“It was a misjudgement of not closing the DRS into Turn 1. It is something to learn from and I know Jack and the team will be ready for tomorrow.”
The team now faces a race against time to repair the A525 ahead of qualifying and ensure that Doohan can regain confidence on track.
Despite these challenges, Doohan remains optimistic about bouncing back from this ordeal. Speaking briefly after being discharged from medical checks, he expressed gratitude for modern F1 safety standards and vowed to focus on improving performance for the remainder of the weekend.
“First of all, I am OK after the incident. It was a heavy one, something that caught me by surprise, and I will learn from it,” he said.
“I know the team has a lot of work ahead to repair the car going into tomorrow, so thanks in advance to them for their efforts.”
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Jack Doohan’s Suzuka crash marks his second major incident in just three Grand Prix weekends, following an earlier collision during his home race in Melbourne.
While such incidents are not uncommon for young drivers still adapting to Formula 1’s intense demands, they highlight the fine margins between success and failure in motorsport’s pinnacle category.
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Anthony Davidson weighed in on Jack Doohan’s Suzuka crash, suggesting that external factors such as strong tailwinds into Turn 1 may have exacerbated handling difficulties.
“I think the car might have just bottomed out,” he said. “I know these cars are capable of taking that corner flat out on the approach.
“It doesn’t look like a driver error. If it wasn’t having his DRS open, the car just bottomed so heavily.”
Davidson also noted that similar issues had been reported by other drivers earlier in the day.
“Sainz complained earlier that the rear of his car didn’t feel right at Spoon Curve and Turn 1 is a lot faster than Spoon,” he added. “It looked to me like he was just a passenger there.”
