According to Alpine, the severe crash of Jack Doohan during the second free practice for the Japanese Grand Prix was the result of a driver error. The French racing team has not been able to identify any technical issues. Doohan failed to close his DRS flap in time, causing him to crash into the wall at high speed. The Australian emerged unscathed from the crash, but his session was immediately over.
Jack Doohan missed the first practice session because he had to give up his car to Japanese Ryo Hirakawa. In the second free practice, Doohan himself took the wheel of the A525, although his session was short-lived. After just a few laps, he missed the first turn and crashed into the wall at nearly 300 kilometers per hour. The nature of the crash, as well as the heavy impact, led to speculation that a mechanical problem could be the cause.
However, Alpine has thoroughly analyzed Doohan’s car and concluded that the driver himself was responsible for the incident. His DRS flap was not closed when he steered into the turn. The rear wing is automatically closed when the driver brakes after a DRS zone, but because Doohan wanted to take the first turn at full throttle, he should have manually deactivated the DRS.
Doohan Under Pressure
“We are all relieved that Jack can recount this crash,” responded team boss Oliver Oakes. “He made a miscalculation by not closing the DRS flap when entering the first corner,” he clarified. “We can learn from this, and I am confident that he and the team are ready for tomorrow’s challenges. The mechanics are busy getting the car ready to drive. As for today’s results, there are still a few things we need to work on.” It is still unclear whether Alpine will rebuild the car with a new chassis after the collision.
“First of all, I’m okay after the incident,” added Jack Doohan. “It was a heavy crash. I was a bit surprised, but I will definitely learn from this. I know the team has a lot of work ahead to repair the car, so I want to thank them in advance for their efforts. For now, I’m focusing on tomorrow, when we can gratefully use the third free practice to prepare for the qualification.” This is the second crash for Doohan, who also dropped out during the opening round in Melbourne. Within the team, he is under significant pressure from reserve driver Franco Colapinto.
