Jack Doohan is not forgiven by the telemetry for his crash during the free practice sessions of the Japanese GP. Recall that the Australian did not participate in the first session, giving way to Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa. This was a questionable decision by Alpine, depriving their rookie of an hour of learning on one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar. In this situation, Jack Doohan had completed only one lap up until this point in the weekend, and this lack of experience could cost him.
The Incident Dynamics
Jack Doohan lost control of his car approaching Turn 1 at over 330 km/h. The impact with the barriers was very violent, and the driver was taken to the medical center for checks. Alpine will have to work overtime to repair the car, which is completely destroyed. The dynamics of the crash are very unusual, and several theories have been reported by various media outlets. The most plausible analysis seems to be related to an error in managing the DRS during the corner entry phase.
As seen in the image, the Alpine driver starts to lose the rear of the car when the DRS (green lights on the steering wheel) is still open. At this point, the car has already entered the corner, and in a few seconds, Jack Doohan finds himself against the barriers on the left. The activation of the rear wing in this section creates a significant difference in aerodynamic load between the front and rear axles, resulting in a violent spin.
The Telemetry Analysis
The telemetry from the lap before the crash during FP2 of the Japanese GP seems to blame Jack Doohan and the team. Although full confirmation of what happened is not yet available, according to the team’s statements, they had already tried to handle this section with the DRS open in the simulator. Assuming this theory is correct, it is a serious error on the part of both the driver and Alpine to allow this attempt, especially with the hard tires. In the considered push-lap, the risk of this maneuver was visible, but in the following lap, they pushed too far beyond the limit.
The graph shows that Jack Doohan let the braking automatically close the DRS. This practice is used at virtually every track, but Suzuka’s first corner is different from any other. It is taken at high speed and does not require braking upon entry. The braking seen in the telemetry is for Turn 2. In this lap, the rear wing closes in time, allowing the Australian to complete the corner. However, in the lap of the crash, this operation occurs too late, and there is nothing more to do for him.
We can see Max Verstappen’s fastest lap in FP2, where it is clear that the DRS is deactivated before applying the brake pedal. Watching the on-board footage, it’s evident that the Dutch driver manually closes the rear wing right before approaching the corner. This operation can also be observed with other drivers and leads to the belief that the mistake came from Doohan and Alpine. Nonetheless, it is important to highlight the progress in car safety, which allowed the driver to walk away unscathed from the heavy impact.
Now, it will be difficult for the Australian driver to regain confidence after this season’s start. The rumors surrounding his future are weighing on his performance on track. The pressures related to Franco Colapinto being ready to take his seat certainly didn’t help in his Formula 1 debut. Racing at a track like Suzuka without the necessary confidence can be a huge disadvantage, especially if the expected rain for the race is confirmed.
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