Behind Jack Doohan's move to Haas as reserve driver for 2026
- Kavi Khandelwal
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Kavi Khandelwal, Edited by Meghana Sree
Jack Doohan’s move to Haas as a reserve driver marks a deliberate break from Alpine, prioritising agency, access and relevance ahead of F1’s 2026 reset.
As confirmed recently, Jack Doohan has signed as a reserve driver for Haas for the 2026 Formula One season. This announcement serves as a definitive break from his long-standing ties with Alpine. While the move has been confirmed ahead of the pre-season testing in Bahrain, it represents more than just a standard backup for the American-owned team.
For Doohan, this is a calculated exit from a driver academy that had become increasingly difficult to navigate. Initially, the optics suggest a step sideways, that is, moving from the expansive resources of Enstone to a satellite team that operates on a much leaner model.
However, in the current climate of the sport, being a primary reserve for an agile team is often more valuable than being a permanent fixture on a crowded bench.
This transition is a case of choosing a clear path over a prestigious one. Proximity to the grid matters more than the pedigree of your junior program. The shift to Haas is about ensuring that when the 2026 regulation reset arrives, Doohan is positioned in a garage that has a direct, functional need for his feedback.
Why Doohan stepped outside of Alpine
The Australian driver’s junior career has been defined by high-level consistency, including a runner-up finish in FIA Formula 3 and a strong presence at the front of the Formula 2 field. For several years, he was positioned as the primary successor within the Alpine pipeline.
He was the driver the team called upon for Free Practice sessions and extensive private testing programs, making him the most logical candidate for a graduation to a full-time seat. However, in 2025, Alpine became a team defined by perpetual transition and leadership churn.
The decision to leave Enstone was rooted in the fallout of a turbulent 2025, where Doohan’s full-time race seat lasted only six Grands Prix before a string of rookie errors and team instability led to his replacement by Franco Colapinto.
Between his demotion and joining Haas, Doohan maintained his sharpness by competing in the European Le Mans Series while also pursuing a failed Super Formula bid that ended after testing crashes at Suzuka.
The arrival of new management at Alpine and the subsequent reshuffling of their 2025 and 2026 driver targets left Doohan in a vulnerable position. Remaining at Enstone would have meant accepting a role where his future was subject to the whims of a corporate hierarchy that had already looked elsewhere.
By moving to Haas, Doohan has exercised a level of career agency that is rare for academy drivers.
It is often a necessary decision to leave a team to avoid career stagnation. Doohan has recognised that in a sport where the narrative shifts every six months, being ‘next in line’ at a manufacturer is a title that can be revoked without warning.
What the reserve driver role actually offers
The decision to join Haas requires a fundamental shift in how the team is perceived. Long dismissed as a backmarker, Haas has transformed under the leadership of Ayao Komatsu into a focused, technical organisation.
For Doohan, the team offers a quiet environment where the focus is strictly on the engineering and the data, free from the political theatre that often accompanies factory teams.
A reserve driver role at Haas provides Doohan with two critical assets: consistent visibility and technical networking. Unlike some reserve roles, Haas relies heavily on its backup drivers for FP1 sessions and simulator correlation.
With the team’s close technical partnership with Ferrari, Doohan is now operating within an ecosystem that has a massive influence on the grid’s power structure.
This move is important as F1 begins its first season with the new regulations. When the sport undergoes a simultaneous change to both power units and chassis, teams value known quantities.
Haas is looking for a driver who can stay “sharp and prepared,” as Komatsu noted, to provide a benchmark for their development. In a year where every team is starting from zero, the feedback from a reserve driver becomes a primary performance differentiator.
The value of relevance in a changing grid
Reserve drivers have moved from the periphery to the centre of the technical programs in recent years. By securing this seat, Doohan ensures that he is present for every briefing and every technical update during the most transformative year in recent F1 history.
This visibility is vital for his long-term prospects. While a reserve driver seat does not come with a guarantee of a Sunday start, it keeps a driver in the active category.
Relevance is a particularly difficult thing to maintain in a sport that is notoriously quick to forget those who aren’t in the paddock. By being an integral part of Haas’ 2026 growth, Doohan will be the first name considered when a vacancy inevitably opens up.
The role allows the Australian driver to shed the “Alpine academy driver” label and be seen as a professional asset in his own right.
What this means for Doohan’s F1 future
The grid is more competitive than ever, and the barriers to entry remain high. This move does not simplify Doohan’s path to a race seat. However, by moving to Haas, he has ensured that his career remains a live conversation. He aims to be a visible, active participant in the 2026 transition.
Doohan’s pivot to Haas is a reminder that the sport values resilience as much as raw pace. He has chosen to step out of a comfortable environment and into a role that requires him to prove his value every time he steps into the garage.
