Haas has signed Jack Doohan as a reserve driver for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Duhan was a free agent after being released by Alpine in January, having started the 2025 season in one of their race seats before being replaced by Franco Colapinto after just six rounds.
The 22-year-old Australian will support Oliver Berman and Esteban Ocon at Haas, joining Japan’s Rio Hirakawa as a back-up option for the American-owned team.
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Jack Doohan lashes out at his Alpine team after being let go at the same time as Pierre Gasly, costing him the final Sprint K1 race at the Miami GP
“I am delighted to be joining the TGR Haas F1 Team. It is the ideal place for me to continue my Formula 1 career,” said Doohan, who is the son of five-time MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan.
“I would like to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to grow and take on the big challenge together in 2026. I am eager to start working with the team and collaborate on a successful season.”
Doohan’s rookie campaign looked doomed before it even started, with speculation before the first race of the 2025 season that he would be replaced by Colapinto at the start of the year.
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Jack Duane gave a curmudgeonly response ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season to any suggestion of “pressure” coming from Franco Colapinto to join Alpine
The speculation became reality after he failed to score a point in the first six rounds, albeit in an unsuccessful Alpine car that Colapinto also failed to score in the remaining 18 rounds.
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu said: “I am personally very excited to have Jack join us at the team, given the strength of his racing CV and of course his experience as a reserve driver in Formula 1.
“The commitment it takes to stay sharp and ready to race while you get to know how the team works and so on, that’s a challenge for any driver – especially one who is obviously still very keen to race at this level again. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jack and we look forward to welcoming him to the team and benefiting from his input.”
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Sky F1’s Anthony Davidson explains Jack Doohan’s high-speed crash in FP2 of the Japanese Grand Prix was caused by the Alpine driver forgetting to close his DRS
When is F1 Bahrain pre-season testing?
The introduction of the new regulations means there is a tight schedule of three separate tests before the start of the 2026 season.
With the indoor Barcelona Shakedown now over, F1 will next head to Bahrain for two ‘official’ pre-season tests, when the media will be present and live track time will be available.
Two three-day tests in Bahrain take place on February 11-13 and 18-20.
When is the first F1 race?
The teams then have two weeks to prepare for the first round of the season, which is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 6-8.
The first practice session of the season will take place on Friday 6th March, qualifying on Saturday 7th March and the opening race on Sunday 8th March.
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8. Stream Ski Sports from NOW – no contract, cancel anytime