Doohan left without seat after Super Formula setback

Jack Doohan’s hopes of salvaging his career with a 2026 race program have suffered another blow, with reports from Japan indicating the Australian has missed out on a Super Formula seat following a troubled test.

After losing his Formula 1 drive with Alpine midway through last season, Doohan had been widely expected to switch to Japan’s Super Formula championship for 2026. He tested with Kondo Racing, a Toyota-affiliated team, and was viewed as a strong candidate for a full-time seat.

However, Dutch magazine Formule 1 reports that the deal collapsed at the final stage. Kondo Racing confirmed last week that Ukyo Sasahara has been signed, while the second seat will go to Williams reserve Luke Browning - leaving no place for Doohan.

According to the report, the 23-year-old’s prospects were not helped by a difficult test at Suzuka in December, where he crashed three times in as many days. While costly, those incidents are said not to have been the decisive factor, with negotiations instead breaking down over the level of budget Doohan was expected to bring to the program.

The news compounds an already difficult year for Doohan, who contested seven grands prix for Alpine before being replaced by Franco Colapinto early in 2025. In mid-January, the Enstone-based team formally confirmed it had ended its relationship with the Australian.

"BWT Alpine Formula One Team confirms it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to not continue his driving services with the team for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship season and allow him to pursue other career opportunities," the team said in a statement.

Doohan had also been loosely linked to a reserve role at Haas, amid the American outfit’s ever-closer technical ties with Toyota. No further details have emerged on that possibility but an official announcement is expected soon.

Update : Haas F1 signs Jack Doohan to Reserve Role

TGR Haas F1 Team is pleased to announce the signing of Jack Doohan as an Official Reserve Driver for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The 23-year-old Australian joins the American squad from Alpine where in 2025 he contested six races to start the Formula 1 season, from the opening Australian Grand Prix through to the Miami Grand Prix, before fulfilling reserve driver duties for the remainder of the championship.

Doohan made his Formula 1 race debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand prix having been Alpine’s reserve driver throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The Queensland-born racer was previously a member of the team’s academy program and prior to his promotion to a race seat had participated in a series of FP1 sessions and TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) outings.

Doohan, the son of five-time MotoGP World Champion Mick Doohan, enjoyed a stellar junior career including a runner-up finish in the FIA Formula 3 series in 2021 and multiple race victories and a high of third in the standings in the FIA Formula 2 series in 2023.

TGR Haas F1 Team will now hold two drivers in the reserve role with Doohan joining alongside Japan’s Ryō Hirakawa – the 31-year-old embedded in the team since April 2025 and with several TPC tests and FP1 sessions to his credit already while fulfilling full-time sports car duties for TGR in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

’’I’m thrilled to be joining TGR Haas F1 Team,” said Jack Doohan. “It’s the ideal place to continue my Formula 1 career. I would like to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to grow and take on the great challenge of 2026 together. I’m eager to begin working with the team and collaborating on a successful season.’’

“I’m personally very excited to have Jack join us on the team given the strength of his racing resume and of course his experience in being a reserve driver in Formula 1,” stated Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of TGR Haas F1 Team. “The dedication required to remain sharp and prepared to race while getting to know how the team works and so on, it’s challenging for any driver – especially one who’s obviously still very keen to race again at this level. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jack and we’re looking forward to welcoming him into the team and benefiting from his contributions.”

TGR Haas F1 Team heads to the Bahrain International Circuit next for two official tests, February 11-13 and 18-20 respectively, followed by the opening round of the 24-race 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship – the Australian Grand Prix, March 6-8.