Jack Doohan will return to the cockpit of Formula 1 machinery during a private Haas test at Jerez after the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, giving the Australian an important opportunity to strengthen his case for a place on the 2027 grid. The Haas reserve driver is among the candidates who could eventually compete for a seat alongside Oliver Bearman as the 2027 Formula 1 driver market begins to take shape.
More than a year after his most recent Grand Prix appearance, Jack Doohan has never considered his Formula 1 story finished. Returning to the grid remains a difficult objective, but the opportunity has become more concrete in recent weeks. His reserve role has kept him inside the paddock, although competitive mileage in a Formula 1 car could prove far more important than simply remaining visible around the team.
Jack Doohan’s Haas test offers a route back to F1 in 2027
Haas has allocated Jack Doohan a day of Testing of Previous Cars running at Jerez following the Madrid weekend. The session will allow the 23-year-old to remove some of the rust accumulated during his absence, but it also provides an opportunity to remind the paddock that his extremely brief spell with Alpine may not have revealed the full extent of his potential.
Formula 1 reached a very rapid verdict on Jack Doohan’s career. Alpine promoted him to a race seat at the end of 2024, but the Australian began the following season under unusual pressure for a rookie. The arrival of Franco Colapinto as reserve driver had already created questions about Jack Doohan’s future before the Australian Grand Prix. After only six races, the Enstone team decided to make a change.
Jack Doohan made mistakes during that period. The most costly came at Suzuka, where a small error resulted in extensive damage to his car. He was also unable to produce the result required to reverse a trend that had appeared to be developing before the season had properly begun. It nevertheless remains reasonable to question whether those few appearances provided enough evidence to judge his potential accurately.
Why six races were not enough to judge Jack Doohan
The statistics from Jack Doohan’s Alpine spell do not strengthen his case: he scored no points and recorded a best finish of 13th. In this instance, however, the numbers tell only part of the story. Jack Doohan entered his first season as a full-time Formula 1 driver without being given the learning period normally afforded to a rookie. He quickly found himself having to prove that he deserved a seat which appeared to have been under discussion almost from the moment he occupied it.
That is not an insignificant detail. Even the most highly rated rookies need time to complete the transition into Formula 1, and the process involves far more than outright speed. Drivers must learn how to manage an entire race weekend, work effectively with engineers, understand the tyres, master the procedures and progressively establish the limits of the car. Jack Doohan had to compress that education into six Grands Prix while knowing that every mistake would carry more weight than usual.
His career before Formula 1 had suggested a different trajectory. Alpine invested in Jack Doohan for several years, placing him in its academy and supporting his progress towards the top level. The Australian also accumulated considerable experience through previous-car tests and free practice appearances, convincing the Enstone team to promote him to a race seat. That confidence disappeared rapidly, leading to a definitive separation at the beginning of 2026.
Haas and Toyota give Jack Doohan a fresh platform
Joining Haas as a reserve driver represented a new beginning. Jack Doohan shares the role with Ryō Hirakawa and has entered a team that has significantly expanded its testing programme through its collaboration with Toyota.
For a driver in Jack Doohan’s position, Haas is potentially one of the most interesting environments available. The role provides direct contact with Formula 1 while also offering genuine opportunities to return to the cockpit. Those opportunities are essential for rebuilding confidence, demonstrating technical feedback and showing how a driver performs without the immediate pressure of a Grand Prix weekend.
A private test does not automatically constitute an audition for a race seat. However, when a team operates an extensive TPC programme, those sessions inevitably become a useful method of evaluating drivers. Haas has already used its testing opportunities with several different candidates and can now do the same with Jack Doohan. For the Australian, Jerez will probably be his most important day in a Formula 1 car since losing his Alpine seat.
Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Câmara add to Haas competition
The competition for a possible Haas opportunity is significant. Leonardo Fornaroli has already completed an initial Haas test at Jerez, while Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara has also been linked with the team’s 2027 plans.
Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Câmara will both drive at Portimão after the Zandvoort weekend, alongside Ryō Hirakawa. Jack Doohan will not take part in that session, which could make his candidacy appear weaker than those of his rivals. However, Haas has decided to give him a separate day at Jerez after the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
It will be particularly interesting to see whether Haas waits until the end of September before announcing who will partner Oliver Bearman next season. If the team postpones its decision until after the Jerez test, it would suggest that Jack Doohan’s candidacy is genuine and that he will be evaluated alongside the drivers currently considered stronger contenders. The uncertainty surrounding the current Haas driver pairing makes every testing opportunity potentially significant.
Jack Doohan finally gets another chance to prove his potential
At 23, it is difficult to regard Jack Doohan as a driver whose definitive Formula 1 verdict has already been delivered. Modern Formula 1 allows very little time, particularly for those who do not arrive with immediately exceptional results or an especially strong contractual position. Jack Doohan was perhaps one of the most extreme examples: he entered the championship, received six races and then disappeared from the grid.
He will now have the opportunity to return to a Formula 1 car without the pressure of a race weekend and, crucially, without being judged over only a few weeks. There is no guarantee that the process will result in a 2027 seat, but Jack Doohan can finally build his candidacy around something tangible. It could become his second chance — or perhaps his first genuine opportunity to demonstrate fully what he can do.
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