Jack Doohan avoided serious injury in a huge crash during the second practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix that has left Alpine facing a major car rebuild.
The Alpine driver had missed FP1 as Ryo Hirakawa drove in his place, and had just started his fifth lap of FP2 when he went off at high speed at Turn 1. Doohan appeared to still have the DRS open as he turned in at full throttle at the first corner, and with the lack of downforce, the car instantly swapped ends before smashing into the tire barrier.
Doohan went off at what was estimated to be over 180 miles per hour, with the car sustaining enormous damage and the Australian taking his time to emerge from the wreckage despite telling the team over the radio that he was okay. After being checked at the medical center, he was then released back the Alpine hospitality.
“Following precautionary medical checks, we can confirm that Jack is okay,” Alpine posted on Friday evening. “Now we’re working hard to get the car ready for tomorrow.”
The team initially refused to comment further on the incident, and Doohan also did not speak publicly after the crash. Team principal Oliver Oakes later confirmed the cause had been driver error.
“We are all relieved to see Jack walk away from his incident in Free Practice 2 and glad to see he is okay after his precautionary checks,” 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. His crew will work hard to have the car prepared after the damage.”
