Jack Doohan is feeling positive about the new Formula 1 season after moving from Alpine to Haas during the off-season.
Alpine gave Jack Doohan just half a dozen races to prove himself last year before he was replaced by Franco Colapinto.
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The decision to replace Doohan with Colapinto didn’t go down well everywhere, even though Colapinto had plenty of support from his home fans who were visible both at races and online.
Now, Haas have brought Doohan back into the fold, signing him as one of their reserve drivers for the upcoming season.
He’ll be providing support to Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman throughout 2026. And with Bearman now just two penalty points away from a race ban, Doohan could find himself back on the grid sooner than expected.
The young Australian attended F1 testing in Bahrain last week. While watching from turn 10, he noticed something odd with Racing Bulls’ car, driven by Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
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Racing Bulls struggle to adapt during Bahrain F1 testing, says Jack Doohan
Speaking with The Race, Jack Doohan offered a trackside perspective on all 11 cars, picking up on the early trends emerging from testing. Drivers are having to quickly adjust to the new rules, which require them to downshift more often through corners. This helps recharge the battery faster by hitting higher revs.
Max Verstappen seems to have already adapted well, and Red Bull’s power unit and gearbox look perfectly suited for dropping into first gear when needed.
The same couldn’t be said for the Racing Bulls car when Arvid Lindblad came by Doohan.
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Doohan explained: “He’s not able to stop the car earlier [than Isack Hadjar in the Red Bull].
“He’s turning in slightly sooner because he’s not stopped the car because he’s not putting as much brake pressure on. He’s sitting in mid-corner, front scrubbing, understeering and having a much later rotation.”
Racing Bulls show mixed results after 2026 Bahrain F1 testing
The early part of the 2026 season promises to be an intriguing watch for Racing Bulls, especially since they have this year’s only rookie in their lineup.
They’re running the new Red Bull-Ford engine, but faced more early setbacks than their main team across the opening three days of testing in Bahrain.
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Liam Lawson’s race starts were a bright spot, with other teams struggling more with turbo lag issues that didn’t seem to affect him as much.
Their top speed numbers were also strong, but that’s where the good news seems to stop for now.
As Doohan noted, the car looked unsettled going into slower corners, especially when drivers had to drop into lower gears to boost revs and battery recharge.
Lawson has said he’s having a hard time getting used to the new driving style, which might be less about his ability and more about how the car handles it.
If that turns out to be true, it could put a ceiling on Racing Bulls’ ambitions in the midfield this year.
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